Morris was born and grew up in Needles, California, along the Colorado River, where his father worked for the railroad.

[2] During his time in private practice, Morris served on the San Bernardino City Unified School District's Board of Education.

[4] California Governor Jerry Brown appointed Morris to the San Bernardino County Superior Court in 1976.

During this time, Morris was named Inland Southern California's Trial Judge of the Year for his outstanding contributions to the administration of justice.

Since then, Morris has advocated statewide, nationwide, and internationally for treatment alternatives for non-violent addicts in the criminal justice system.

On February 7, 2006, Morris won the mayoral run-off election against City Attorney James "Jim" Frank Penman by 64% of the vote.