The Hon. James S. Hawkins (Ret.) was a judge for the Riverside County Superior Court in California. He was originally appointed to the Municipal Court by former governor Pete Wilson. He was subsequently elevated to the Superior Court. He retired from the bench in 2017 and his vacancy was filled by the Hon. Emma C. Smith.
Hawkins received his bachelor's degree from California State University, Los Angeles. He went on to earn his J.D. from Southwestern Law School in 1973.
Hawkins first worked as a detective's assistant with the Los Angeles Police Department before joining the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, where he would work as a deputy district attorney for seven years.
He then left the public sector to work as an associate at the Anderson Law Firm, where he would be instrumental in winning multi-million dollar payouts in lawsuits against the likes of AIG and then-famous televangelist Jim Baker. Then, in 1990, he partnered with the firm Hirschi, Clark, and Hawkins until 1996.
It was at that time that Hawkins was selected by the Riverside County Superior Court judges to serve as a court commissioner. Less than a year later, Hawkins was appointed to the Municipal Court.