Judge Ross

Erskine Mayo Ross (1845-1928) was a California lawyer and jurist. He served as an Associate Justice in the California Supreme Court from 1880 to 1886. In 1887 President Grover Cleveland nominated Ross to serve as judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. In 1895, with Grover Cleveland returned to the presidency, Ross was nominated as judge of both the U.S. Circuit Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District. Ross served on both courts until 1911 when the Circuit Court was abolished, but continued serving on the Court of Appeals until his death in 1928. Judge Ross heard the U.S. v. Stanford case and his 1896 ruling in favor of the estate of Leland Stanford enabled the continued funding and growth of Stanford University.