About James Ardaiz
In 1974, James Ardaiz began his career as a prosecutor, rising to the position of Chief of Homicide. By 1980, at the age of 32, he became a Municipal Court Judge and later served as the Presiding Judge. He was then appointed to the California Superior Court, where he also served as the Presiding Criminal Judge. In 1988, he was appointed to the California Fifth District Court of Appeal. He later became the Administrative Presiding Justice of the Fifth District Court of Appeal, one of six presiding justices governing the state appellate system. During his time in the judiciary, he served on the Judicial Council, the governing body of the state judiciary, as well as in the capacity of Chair of the Executive Committee. Ardaiz has received numerous awards for his service, such as California Jurist of the Year, the highest honor a judge can receive from the California judiciary.
Ardaiz retired from the judiciary in 2010 after thirty years of judicial service. Thereafter, he began working as an attorney in private practice and eventually returned to the courtroom as a trial attorney. He greatly enjoyed being a trial attorney and, during that time, achieved two national class verdicts. But his ambition was always to be a writer. When he was 55 years old, he set out to write books that would leave readers thinking about the stories he told and the dilemmas his characters faced.
“My goal is to write books which make people think long after they’ve reached the last page. I try to write in a way that allows the reader to take the journey along with the characters and, at the end, to ask themselves, ‘Is that what I would have done?’”
– James Ardaiz
With his first book, Hands Through Stone, he takes readers through an actual major criminal investigation, revealing the true story behind California’s notorious Fran’s Market murders and their mastermind, Clarence Ray Allen, the last man executed in the State of California. Ardaiz had served as the prosecutor on the case before becoming a judge.
“Ardaiz’s writing about police work is in depth . . . The final chapter was thought-provoking and put a different perspective on the death penalty for me . . . had me thinking about the book long after I had finished it.”
– TrueCrimeReader.com
His next books involve the Matt Jamison series—a fictional courtroom legal thriller series in which a young prosecutor steps out from the black-and-white world of law school to explore the concept of justice in the shades-of-gray criminal justice system. The books encompass a range of subjects from serial murder (Fractured Justice) to wrongful conviction (Shades of Truth) to international child sex trafficking (Trading Innocence) to ritualistic murder/fanaticism (Leaves of Moonlight). All the books in the Matt Jamison series are relatively free standing, although they utilize the same cast of characters. Each book focuses on a crime committed and slowly builds the case to the eventual court trial and aftermath. The books are gripping, fast paced, and full of unexpected twists and turns.
Finally, Tears of Honor is a complete departure from the world of crime. It’s a sweeping novel of history, war, and courage in the face of injustice, depicting a dark moment in American history where Japanese American soldiers fought against Nazi tyranny in Europe while their families remained imprisoned in internment camps by the American government. Using hundreds of hours of interviews and research, this book describes actual events based upon historical documents and the memory of those who were there.
“Emotionally charged with a fine blend of military clashes, history, and insights into prejudice and redemption in a gripping saga that is hard to put down and realistic in its roots.”
– The Bookwatch
Tears of Honor was recognized by the American Association of Independent Publishers as a 2022 Silver Medalist for National Historical Novel of the Year.
Ardaiz officially retired from the practice of law in 2021. He and his wife divide their time between the San Joaquin Valley of California and the Central Coast. They have three children and five grandchildren. In his spare time, Ardaiz paints (primarily portraits and landscapes) and spends time with his family. He continues to write the stories that he wants to tell, fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a professional writer.
Professional Background
Curriculum Vitae
JAMES A. ARDAIZ
James A. Ardaiz, Esq., Retired Administrative Presiding Justice, Fifth District Court of Appeal, State of California
Education
1970, California State University, Fresno, B.A. English
1974, University of California, Hastings College of Law
Career
1974, Deputy District Attorney, Fresno County, California
1977, Chief Deputy District Attorney, Homicide, Fresno County, California
1980, Elected Judge of the Municipal Court, County of Fresno, California
1982, Assistant Presiding Judge of the Municipal Court
1983-1985, Presiding Judge of the Municipal Court
1985, Judge of the Superior Court, County of Fresno, California, by appointment of Governor George Deukmejian
1987, Presiding Criminal Judge of the Superior Court
1990, Associate Justice of the Fifth District Court of Appeal, State of California, by appointment of Governor George Deukmejian
1994, Administrative Presiding Justice of the Fifth District Court of Appeal, State of California, by appointment of Governor Pete Wilson
Judicial Education
- Instructor, California Judicial College, Berkeley, California; evidence, criminal law, trial practice, and death penalty litigation
- Instructor, National Judicial College; appellate court administration
- Instructor, California Judicial College; appellate practice, death penalty litigation, judicial decision making, and trial practice
- Professor, San Joaquin College of Law (1984-2004, 2011-2013); evidence
Judicial Distinctions
- California Jurist of the Year
- Chair, California Task Force on Trial Court Employees
- Chair, California Task Force on Court Reporting
- Chair, New Judge Orientation
- Member of the California Judicial Council
- Chairman of the Executive Committee of the California Judicial Council
- California Kleps Award for Judicial Administration (four times)
- Hastings Alumnus of the Year, County of Fresno (twice)
- Blaine Pettit Mentor Award for Young Lawyers
- Distinguished American Award for work in helping the Japanese American community obtain recognition of the Pinedale Assembly Center, where Japanese Americans were held pursuant to Order 9066 in World War II
- Distinguished American Award in Education (Tears of Honor, historical novel regarding the Japanese American detentions in World War II)
2010 to date:
Justice Ardaiz retired from the judiciary in December of 2010 after thirty years of judicial service. After his judicial retirement, Justice Ardaiz resumed the practice of law in the fields of mediation, arbitration, and appellate evaluation.
In 2015, he provided appellate consultation in a $72,000,000 judgment, resulting in a complete reversal.
In 2016, he reentered the courtroom as a trial lawyer, and with his co-counsel, obtained a $25,000,000 bad faith title insurance judgment (Top 100 Verdicts in America, 2016).
In 2017, as trial counsel, he obtained a settlement in an eminent domain action with the State of California resulting in an aggregate award of $59,000,000, including a $40,000,000 monetary settlement and $19,000,000 in property resolution.
His work has included providing evaluations to a number of major corporations on their strategic legal positions in complex litigation to assist them in litigation and appellate planning.
In 2018, he was engaged on behalf of Sweetwater School District to provide appellate consultation and assist in brief preparation in Gilbane v. Sweetwater School District. In 2019, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in favor of Sweetwater School District, which resulted in significant explanation of the use of affidavits and declarations in anti-Slapp suits and motion practice.
He consulted on Bolger v. Amazon, which resulted in the application of products liability to Amazon on its products sold to the public through its services.
In 2021, he acted as Lead Counsel for Westlake Farms v. Los Angeles Sanitation District, resulting in a jury verdict of $89,800,000.
At the end of 2021, Justice Ardaiz retired from the active practice of law. He enjoys spending time with his family, painting, and writing books.
James Ardaiz 