Fifty years after graduating from the McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific alumna and Regent Consuelo “Connie” Callahan ’75 is about to cross the stage again.
Callahan, a judge for more than 20 years on the nation’s second-highest court, will receive an honorary doctoral degree from Pacific recognizing half a century of distinguished public service and mentorship. The degree, one of the university’s highest honors, celebrates her long history of breaking barriers as a Hispanic woman in the courtroom.
“I have loved my legal career, and I am deeply grateful to Pacific and McGeorge for preparing me so well, constantly supporting me, and now, deeming me worthy of this great honor,” she said.
“It will be a privilege to accept the honorary degree alongside our newest graduates. I hope to encourage them that, with a Pacific education, they too are ready to defy expectations and create positive change.”
Callahan was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 2003.
A graduate of Stanford, she earned her Juris Doctor degree at McGeorge in 1975, in a class with fewer than 10 women. She later completed a Master of Laws degree at the University of Virginia School of Law.
After graduating from Pacific, Callahan was hired in Stockton as a deputy city attorney and later joined the district attorney’s office, where she tried cases with overwhelming success and created the office’s first child abuse and sexual assault unit.
“Pacific and McGeorge equipped me to pursue a career marked by taking risks, asking critical questions and challenging norms,” Callahan said. “That kind of education doesn’t just benefit me—it helps other lawyers and judges who come after me and indeed, makes the entire legal system better for those it serves.”
Her subsequent journey to the judge’s bench spanned many firsts. She was the first female court commissioner in San Joaquin County, the first woman and first Latina on the San Joaquin County Superior Court, and, when appointed to the Third District California Court of Appeals in 1996, was the first person to ascend from the San Joaquin County Superior Court to the appeals court in more than 70 years.
Callahan is president of the American Inns of Court, a nationwide association of lawyers, judges and other legal professionals dedicated to professional excellence and mentoring.
She has traveled abroad to share her expertise with lawyers and judges in India and Albania. At home, she is passionate about mentoring students and young professionals, particularly young women, within and beyond the legal field.