Known to many as “Saint Armand,” Armand Arabian served on the bench of the California Supreme Court from 1990 to 1996. He is a nationally recognized leader in efforts to reform rape laws.

Prior to his tenure with the California Supreme Court, Arabian, a graduate of Boston University School of Law, served as a deputy district attorney, Superior Court judge, and justice of the California Court of Appeals.

As a trial judge in 1973, Arabian initiated a new mindset in the courtroom when he refused to instruct a jury that a rape is a charge easy to make and difficult to defend. In 1975, this decision was upheld by a unanimous California Supreme Court.

After retiring from the bench in 1996, Arabian taught at Pepperdine University.

Arabian is the recipient of Boston University School of Law’s highest alumni recognition, the Silver Shingle Award for Distinguished Service to the Legal Profession, as well as the university’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.