Newport Beach : Ex-City Attorney Picked as Superior Court Judge

Tully H. Seymour, former city attorney for both Laguna Beach and Newport Beach, has been appointed by Gov. George Deukmejian to the Orange County Superior Court.

Seymour, 50, who is in private practice in Costa Mesa, will replace retired Judge James W. Cook.

The governor’s office announced the appointment of Seymour, no relation to state Sen. John Seymour (R-Anaheim), in Sacramento on Tuesday.

Seymour said he hopes to assume his new post within two weeks.

An Arizona native who now lives in Newport Beach, Seymour was Newport Beach city attorney from 1964 to 1971 and a part-time city attorney for Laguna Beach from 1971 to 1974.

He started his law practice in 1971, specializing in real estate, local government and business law.

Earlier, Seymour had been a deputy district attorney in Kern County and an assistant city attorney in Bakersfield and in Newport Beach.

Although he submitted an application in hopes of being named to a judicial post two years ago, Seymour said the appointment came as a surprise.

“I was in a state of shock this morning when I got the call” from Deukmejian’s appointments secretary, Marvin Baxter, Seymour said.

Seymour is a member of the California and Orange County bar associations. He will earn $77,000 annually as a Superior Court judge.