A Budding Rose Bird

Beth Lester, a 17-year-old South Pasadena High School senior, serves as chief justice of the state Supreme Court . . . kind of. Lester, who graduates in two weeks, participates in the YMCA Youth & Government program in which high school students throughout California elect each other for yearlong terms to mock-run the state. We asked Lester to weigh in on some issues confronted by her alter ego, 58-year-old California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald M. George, who in November is seeking to retain the position he has held for two years.

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Topics

Ronald M George

Gay and Agnostic Boy Scouts

“The Boy Scouts is an expressive social organization whose primary function is the inculcation of values in its youth members.”

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Parental Consent for Abortions

“No one would doubt the value to a pregnant minor of wise and caring parental guidance and support . . . assuming such support is available and the minor is willing to seek it.”

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Private Judges

“Private judging fosters the impression, if not the reality . . . that those with the resources to hire judges of their own choosing can have their disputes resolved readily.”

Beth Lester

Gay and Agnostic Boy Scouts

“It’s ironic that an organization that teaches kids to be model citizens also teaches them discrimination.”

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Parental Consent for Abortions

“Parents’ rights don’t include legal rights to know what their children are doing.”

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Private Judges

“How good a judge can you buy? The justice system should not be subject to how much money a plaintiff or defendant can use to buy a judge.”