Dennis J. Keough

Dennis J. Keough

Judge, Superior Court, State of California
1974, Juris Doctorate, University of Mississippi
1971, Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, CSULB

Now in his thirty-fifth year as a jurist, the Honorable Dennis J. Keough has the distinction of having served as a judge in the state courts of both Nebraska and California. He was elected by his colleagues in Orange County to five terms on the Superior Court's Executive Committee, the highest governing body for the nation’s fifth largest court system.  

He is one of California's most experienced Superior Court judges adjudicating child dependency cases.  Early in his career, Keough interned as a public defender in Mississippi and practiced law in Lincoln, Nebraska; he was appointed to the Nebraska judiciary in 1977.  

In 1980, he returned to California to serve as an assistant district attorney.  He rose through the ranks of the Superior Court of California until he was elevated to judge in 2009.  Born in Pittsburgh, PA to Irish parents, Keough is a founding member of the Celtic Bar Association and has a long record of service to his community and alma mater.  

Recently, he worked with Professor Teresa Wright to develop an internship program for political science students at CSULB.  Keough and his wife, Sherie, own a citrus ranch near Fallbrook; his other interests include literature, geophysics, and cosmology.

From Alumni Awards 2017 program