Peters was born in Oakland on April 17, 1903, and educated in the public schools. After high school, he continued his education at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and graduated with a LL.B. degree.[3]
In 1930, Peters became Chief Law Secretary of the California Supreme Court.[4] In 1939, Governor Culbert Olson appointed Peters the Presiding Justice of the then District Court of Appeal, First District, Division One, replacing John F. Tyler.[5][6] In December 1940, Peters was retained by the voters in the election.[7][8] In November 1948, he was president of the conference of California judges, and led a study a code conduct of judicial proceedings.[9] In February 1949, Chief Justice Phil S. Gibson appointed Peters to a two-year term on the State Judicial Council.[10] His notable cases on the appellate bench include a September 1958 decision holding San Benito County's "right to work" ordinance is "unconstitutional and contrary to the state's public policy."[11]
In 1959, by appointment of Governor Pat Brown, Peters became an associate justice of the California Supreme Court.[3] At the same time, Governor Brown appointed Absalom Francis Brown as the new Presiding Justice of the appellate court's First District, Division One, and Mathew O. Tobriner to take Peter's seat as an associate justice on that court.[12] A liberal lion on the court led by Roger J. Traynor,[13][14] Peters' notable cases include In People v. Belous (1969),[15] a landmark abortion decision that protected the constitutional right of a woman to control her own body. In December 1967, he wrote the majority opinion striking down the loyalty oath required in the state constitution of public employees.[16] In 1971, he authored an opinion prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex.[17]
^"Peters Presiding Judge". Madera Tribune. No. 31. California Digital Newspaper Collection. UPI. 6 June 1939. p. 1. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
^"Record Vote Held Likely on President". San Bernardino Sun. No. 46. California Digital Newspaper Collection. Associated Press. 5 November 1940. p. 4. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
^"Judges to Draw Up Proceedings Code". San Bernardino Sun. Vol. 1, no. 80. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 7 November 1948. p. 15. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
^"County 'Right to Work' Law Ruled Illegal". San Bernardino Sun. Vol. 65, no. 5. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 5 September 1958. p. 1. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
^Kamayi, Gary (May 16, 2014). "Miscarriage of justice sends 2 innocent men to prison". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 15, 2017. Reviewing the death penalty convictions of Tom Mooney and Warren Billings: "Years later, state Supreme Court Justice Raymond Peters said that if no legal procedure existed to set aside Mooney's conviction, the court should have invented one."
^"Loyalty Oath Invalid". Desert Sun. No. 120. California Digital Newspaper Collection. UPI. 22 December 1967. p. 1. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
^"Sail'er Inn, Inc. v. Kirby (1971) 5 Cal.3d 1, 95 Cal.Rptr. 329, 485 P.2d 529". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
^Hanna, Phil (12 January 1973). "What will Senate Do With Reagan Choice?". Desert Sun. California Digital Newspaper Collection. Capitol News Service. p. A3. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
