John E. Richards was an associate justice of the California Supreme Court

Supreme Court of California

The Supreme Court of California is the highest state court in California. It is headquartered in San Francisco and regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Its decisions are binding on all other California state courts.-Composition:...

 from 1924 until 1932.

Richards was born on July 7, 1856 in San Jose. He obtained his undergraduate degree from University of the Pacific in 1877 and his law degree from the University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 in 1879. In 1907, after practicing law in San Francisco and San Jose

San Jose, California

San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...

, Richards began serving on the Santa Clara Superior Court. In 1913, he was elevated to the First District Court of Appeal, and in 1924, he was appointed to the Supreme Court.

Richards served as a trustee of the University of the Pacific. In his spare time, he wrote editorials, essays and poetry; he was also a Mason

Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...

.

His last opinion (Parra v. Traeger (1931) 214 Cal. 535) was filed on December 31, 1931. He died on June 25, 1932.