Judges and Judiciary
May 3, 2022
It’s Time to End Contested Superior Court Judicial Elections
It is believed that one veteran judge was defeated because she listed herself on the ballot as an “incumbent” and voters may not have known what that meant. Another highly qualified judge who lost her robe had a “foreign-sounding” name. Some said that the challenger was using an anti-immigrant scare tactic.
Michael L. Stern
Judge (ret.)
Harvard Law, Boalt Hall
Judge Stern worked at the CRLA Santa Maria office from 1972 to 1975. He is chair of the Los Angeles County Superior Court Historical Committee.
While more than 160 sitting Los Angeles Superior Court judges are up for election this year, practically none of their names will be on the June ballot. By law, judges who did not draw challengers have been declared winners. This leaves voters to decide a few races for the judges who have been challenged and a handful of ballot fights between attorneys vying for some open seats.
In today’s world, judicial elections are an unnecessary way t...
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