William A. Norris is a retired judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and has practiced law in California for many years before and after his historic role on the bench.
The life and times of a trailblazing lawyer and judge in the law. Author of a controversial but prescient judicial opinion striking down the ban on gays in the military--two decades before the Supreme Court finally recognized such equal rights--Bill Norris made law and waves on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. His legal and civic life before and after, though not well known, is also compelling.