Edward Rafeedie

Edward Rafeedie (January 6, 1929 – March 25, 2008) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Early life and career Rafeedie was born to Palestinian immigrants in Orange, New Jersey. His family moved to Santa Monica, California when he was seven years old. He lived for a while in the Middle East before moving back to California. After graduating from Venice High School in 1946, Rafeedie traveled the carnival circuit with a portable electric horse-race game called Derby. He attended Los Angeles City College from 1946 to 1947. He served in the United States Army from 1950 to 1952 during the Korean War. He then attended Santa Monica College from 1954 to 1955 and University of Southern California Law Center, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1957 and a Juris Doctor in 1959. Afterwards, he worked in private practice in Santa Monica from 1959 to 1969. State judicial service Rafeedie was appointed as a Municipal Court Judge in 1969 by California Governor Ronald Reagan. In 1971, Governor Reagan elevated him to the Superior Court, where he served a total of 11 years. During his tenure on the Superior Court, Rafeedie presided over several high-profile civil cases, including the contested conservatorship of Groucho Marx, the Britt Ekland and Rod Stewart palimony trial and part of the Bob Dylan divorce case. He also sentenced the daredevil Evel Knievel to jail for attacking a television executive with a baseball bat. Rafeedie was also known for his calendar management of cases and his concern about efficient management of trials. His nickname was, "Speedie Rafeedie," because of his penchant for denying trial continuances.