Former leader of San Francisco court to retire this week

Judge John K. Stewart, who bolstered courthouse efficiency and public accessibility during his tenure as presiding judge of the San Francisco County Superior Court, will retire Jan. 1.

Appointed by Gov. Gray Davis in 2000, Stewart had criminal and civil assignments and a leadership role from 2015-17.

"We had to learn how to do more with a lot less and our staff has done and continues to do an amazing job of adapting," Stewart said in a statement. "I've always been proud of the way we have reacted to changes in the court system."

During his two years as presiding judge, Stewart expanded the collaborative courts, re-installed judge-sponsored mediation and adopted new traffic court procedures, making it easier to contest citations and make a violator's ability to pay a factor for judges to consider.

Current Presiding Judge Garret L. Wong said Stewart was emblematic of leadership and promoted collegiality and transparency among colleagues.

"His management was about efficiency," Wong said in an email Tuesday. "For example, he welcomed new ways to evaluate the pretrial release process and authorized the dismissal of thousands of old uncollectible quality of life infraction tickets that were clogging our traffic court dockets and wasting valuable judicial resources."

During Stewart's tenure, San Francisco became one of the first state courts to adopt an assessment tool to assist in evaluating pre-trial releases and detentions.

Wong said Stewart was a mentor to judges and championed the advancement of women.

Judge Angela Bradstreet was hired by Stewart in the early 1980s when he worked at Carroll Burdick & McDonough.

"He was incredibly encouraging. He always made sure the firm funded and donated money to women's bar associations," Bradstreet said. "He's a real believer in diversity. He's a real believer in the advancement of women."

She recalled a piece of advice he gave her.

"He told me once reputation is everything," Bradstreet said. "One's word is one's bond."

Stewart is a Stanford Law School graduate who started working at Carroll Burdick & McDonough in 1965.

Wong said he will miss Stewart's easy optimism, wise counsel, practical outlook and humility.

"He was an excellent trial judge and a model of dignity, integrity and fairness to anyone who had the honor of serving with him on the bench," Wong said.