About James Ardaiz
James Ardaiz
James Ardaiz is a retired judge and former prosecutor who set out to write books that would leave readers thinking about the stories he told and the dilemmas his characters faced. He wanted readers to close the last pages of his books and then say, “Is that what I would have done?”
With his first book, Hands Through Stone, he takes readers through an actual major criminal investigation resulting in the last execution in the state of California and the impact on the men and women involved.
Told in a narrative non-fiction style, it is like reading a novel that allows the reader to stand in the shoes of those who spent twenty-six years seeking justice and how it affected them.
“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 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.
Fractured Justice is a stunning debut crime novel in which Assistant District Attorney Matt Jamison gets his first major case. Faced with a sophisticated and elusive killer and mounting pressure to win a high-profile case, Jamison confronts his own conscience as he tracks the killer from the crime scene to a devastating aftermath. In Shades of Truth, a cold murder case is reopened and exposes disturbing secrets. Questions of credibility about the original trial and conviction and evidence of corruption draw the reader into thinking about the reality of the judicial system and the concept of justice.
In his latest book, Trading Innocence, Matt Jamison and his investigators are confronted with protecting two young girls from the dark world of international sex trafficking. Full of unexpected twists and turns, it delivers a captivating tale of innocence lost and a justice system struggling to protect the most vulnerable.
Finally, Tears of Honor, his fourth book, is a complete departure from the world of crime. A sweeping novel of history, war, and courage in the face of injustice, Tears of Honor depicts a dark moment in American history of Japanese Americans sending their sons to fight against Nazi tyranny in Europe while they remained imprisoned 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. An exceptional novel, Tears of Honor was recognized by the American Association of Independent Publishers as a 2022 silver medalist for National Historical Novel of the Year.
“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
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JAMES ARDAIZ
Curriculum Vitae
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
1988, 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, evidence, San Joaquin College of Law, 1984-2004, 2011-2013
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 WWII)
Legal Distinctions:
Justice Ardaiz was one of the youngest lawyers in the State of California to achieve the designation of Chief Deputy District Attorney. Elected to the Municipal Court at the age of 32, he became one of the youngest judges in California and the youngest Presiding Judge. At 35, he became a Superior Court Judge and then Presiding Criminal Judge. At 39, he was nominated to the Fifth District Court of Appeal. At 40, he became one of the youngest appellate court judges in the history of California. At 44, he became the youngest Administrative Presiding Justice in the history of California, one of six Presiding Justices governing the state appellate system.
Justice Ardaiz served on the Judicial Council, the governing body of the California Judiciary, and acted as Chair of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Council.
He was also designated as Chair to the Task Force on Trial Court Employees to forge an agreement between the State of California, the California Judiciary, 126 unions, and 56 counties with respect to the transfer of approximately 20,000 county court employees into a new employment system, including retirement, discipline, and benefits. This assignment and agreement was required by the California Legislature to obtain trial court funding for the California Judiciary.
After eighteen months of meetings and negotiations, Justice Ardaiz obtained unanimous agreement of the various affected entities, resulting in the largest single piece of legislation in the history of California. The agreement was hailed by then Chief Justice Ronald George “as a monumental achievement.”
As a consequence, Justice Ardaiz was named California Jurist of the Year, the highest honor a judge can receive from the California Judiciary. He was a four-time recipient of the Kleps Award for Judicial Administration in the fields of electronic records, public education, and teleconferencing oral arguments.
Justice Ardaiz retired in December of 2010 after thirty years of judicial service. It was his privilege during this tenure to serve on the California Supreme Court as a Pro Tempore Justice on multiple occasions.
2011-to date:
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, resulting in significant explanation of the use of affidavits and declarations in anti-Slapp suits and motion practice.
He consulted on Bolger v. Amazon, resulting 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 and his wife, Pamella, divide their time between their lifelong home in California’s Central Valley and their home on the Monterey coast, where he writes and occupies his free time with oil painting, primarily portraits, and landscapes. He and his wife have three children and five grandchildren.
Publications:
Co-Author California Evidence (Attorney Briefcase)
Author, Hands Through Stone (Craven Street Books, 2012), a non-fiction account of the last case resulting in execution in California, depicted in a documentary with television journalist Deborah Norville
Author, Fractured Justice (Pace Press, 2017), the first book in the Matt Jamison courtroom legal thriller series
Author, Shades of Truth (Pace Press, June 2019), the second book in the Matt Jamison courtroom legal thriller series
Author, Tears of Honor (Pace Press, October 2019), a historical fiction account of the Japanese American Internment WWII, which received national recognition as the 2022 Silver Medalist, National Historical Novel of the Year, from the American Association of Independent Publishers
Author, Trading Innocence (May 2022), the third book in the Matt Jamison courtroom legal thriller series
Author, Matters of General Concern, a humor column for lawyers
Website:
jamesardaiz.com
Hands Through Stone
“Hands Through Stone tells a frightening story with all the tension and color of a first-class mystery novel … a revealing insider’s view of the investigation.” -www.CrimeMagazine.com
Trading Innocence
NEW RELEASE
In the dark world of international sex slavery, there is an even more frightening trade in children. In Trading Innocence, Matt Jamison and his investigators are confronted with protecting two young victims from those who would exploit them for money and pleasure. With a pace that will leave the reader breathless from the tension of the investigation, Trading Innocence delivers a captivating tale of innocence lost and a justice system struggling to protect the most vulnerable.
