Adrian W. Adams was appointed judge of the Newhall Municipal Court in 1970 by Gov. Ronald Reagan. For the first time, the Newhall Judicial District had two judges. (C.M. MacDougall, already seated, was the other.) By the time Adams retired from the bench in 1991, a third seat had been added to the court.

Adams opened a law practice on San Fernando Road in Newhall on May 1, 1953, and partnered with attorney James Lowder. One career highlight as a judge was the arraignment of the two suspects in the 1970 Newhall Incident, which came just months after his appointment to the bench. In terms of community service, one of his biggest contributions was to chair the board that created Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital.

In this photo, Adams is seen behind the desk at his Newhall law office in the 1950s.