John Zebrowski
Judge, legal teacher
Born Aug. 31, 1948, Sewickley (PA), U.S.; son of Ernest and Josephine (Zajac); married Sylvia (Kaminski); children: Mariah, Sarah, Nicholas.
Education: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1970; Juris Doctor (J.D.), Georgetown University, Washington (DC), 1975.
Career: judge, Los Angeles Superior Court (CA), 1982 -.
Office: Los Angeles Superior Court, Department 62, 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
From: "Who's Who in Polish America" 1st Edition 1996-1997, Boleslaw Wierzbianski editor; Bicentennial Publishing Corporation, New York, NY, 1996.
John ZebrowskiOutstanding lawyer of Polish origin
by Artur Zygmont
Judge Zebrowski was born on August 31, 1948 and grew up in Ambridge, a small river town in Western Pennsylvania, the son of a factory worker and a waitress. He himself worked in the steel mills and at other jobs to finance part of his college expenses. The balance of his undergraduate expenses was paid by scholarships awarded to him based upon his academic achievement.
He studied at the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League school, where he divided his course work between the well-known Wharton Business School and the College of Arts and Sciences. He graduated with honors in 1970. He later worked his way through law school at Georgetown. Despite his modest origins, he has amassed a solid record of both academic and professional achievement. He is recognized throughout the California legal community as a respected judge and legal scholar, and is well known in the Los Angeles business community as well.
In his early youth, Judge Zebrowski studied Polish and both he and his parents participated in the activities of several Polish organizations in the Pittsburgh area. He was a very intelligent young man, who scored in the 99th percentile in his SAT examinations. He was always at or near the top of his class in high school, the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University. Judge Zebrowski is a member of MENSA, an international organization limited to those with exceptionally high intelligence levels.
After receiving a Law degree from Georgetown in 1975, Zebrowski returned to the Pittsburgh area, anticipating a career as a litigator with a prestigious law firm. But it was not to be. The legal establishment was not ready for the grandson of a coal miner and a steel worker, notwithstanding his exceptionally high academic standing.
So, in the best tradition, Zebrowski went West and began his legal career as an attorney in Los Angeles in 1975. In a few years, he rose to Assistant General Counsel of the USA Petroleum Corporation. As a lawyer, he was admitted to practice before all California State Courts, the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals. In 1982, Zebrowski was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court as Judge Pro Tem and Commissioner and, in 1986, as Judge.
Judge Zebrowski's legal comments have been published extensively in legal journals and magazines. Some changes in the Law, proposed by Judge Zebrowski have been adopted by the State Legislature.
Judge Zebrowski still has a long, judicial career ahead of him and will, no doubt, soon become a California Court Appeals Judge.
Judge Zebrowski married Sylvia Marie Kaminski in 1970. They have three children and live in La Canada.
From: Polish Americans in California, vol. II. National Center for Urban Ethnic Affairs & Polish American Historical Association. California 1995.