Judge Ronald S. Prager, a well-respected jurist who has presided over some of San Diego’s most high-profile civil cases over the past 29 years, retired Friday from the Superior Court bench.
Prager was appointed to the San Diego Municipal Court in 1988 and elevated by then-Gov. George Deukmejian to the Superior Court bench in August 1989. While he has presided over cases in East and North County, Prager spent the bulk of his judicial career at the downtown civil court.
For the past year and a half, Prager had been on assignment with the 4th District Court of Appeal, assisting appellate court justices with case workload.
“Judge Prager has had a long and distinguished career with the San Diego Superior Court,” said Presiding Judge Jeffrey Barton. “He has been a highly respected Independent Calendar civil judge for many years and has mentored many of our civil judges, including myself. He is an innovative case manager and is well respected by his peers, the Bar and the public who have appeared before him. He will be greatly missed by our court.”
Before becoming a judge, Prager served in the state Attorney General’s Office from 1980-88, the California Fair Political Practices Commission in 1979 and 1980, and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office from 1970 to 1979.
Prager’s courtroom was in the legal spotlight several times during his judicial career, including a nationally monitored 2002 case involving the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., which was accused of reneging on a legally binding promise to target only people 18 years of age and older in its advertising.
A graduate of San Diego’s Crawford High School, Prager received his law degree from the University of Southern California and his undergraduate degree from Pomona College.
He plans on taking on new challenges in private dispute resolution as a mediator and arbitrator.
—City News Service