John E. Richards was an associate justice of the California Supreme Court from 1924 until 1932.
Richards was born on July 7, 1856 in San Jose. He obtained his undergraduate degree from University of the Pacific in 1877 and his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1879. In 1907, after practicing law in San Francisco and San Jose, Richards began serving on the Santa Clara Superior Court. In 1913, he was elevated to the First District Court of Appeal, and in 1924, he was appointed to the Supreme Court.
Richards served as a trustee of the University of the Pacific. In his spare time, he wrote editorials, essays and poetry; he was also a Mason.
His last opinion (Parra v. Traeger (1931) 214 Cal. 535) was filed on December 31, 1931. He died on June 25, 1932.