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.�