How TF Do I Vote for Judges?
If you’ve gotten through most of your ballot only to discover, “F#%£!! I have no idea how to vote for judges,” don’t feel bad. You are not alone!
When newspapers make their endorsements, they don’t always include judges. And it’s hard to know where else to go for information.
But we actually have some great options…
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Here are some excellent resources for judges, and many of them also provide information about the other candidates and issues on the ballot, as well.
And if you live in Los Angeles, just keep scrolling to the bottom, where I share my own recommendations for our judges!
NATIONAL
Ballotpedia
A non-partisan site with information about every single election in the U.S.
Blue Voter Guide
A blue guide that lets you enter your address anywhere in the U.S. and find all the candidates/measures on your ballot, and who has endorsed them.
CALIFORNIA
Cal Matters
A blue guide that tracks every single election in California and explains who is funding what, whom and why.
Supreme Court of CA
A non-partisan site that provides information about every single justice on the Supreme Court of California.
Voters Edge
A non-partisan site that lets you enter your address anywhere in California and find the candidates/measures on your ballot, as well as who has endorsed them, and more.
LOS ANGELES
Ground Game LA
A progressive voting guide that provides information and endorsements for most of the candidates/measures in Los Angeles.
Knock LA
A progressive news site that provides detailed information and endorsements for everything on the ballot in Los Angeles.
LA Forward
A progressive voting guide that provides information and endorsements for most of the candidates/measures in Los Angeles.
LAist: “How To Vote In Los Angeles For The Nov. 8 General Election”
A news site called LAist that provides non-partisan information for everyone in Los Angeles about how and where to vote, what is on the ballot, and who is funding what, whom and why.
LA Times
The paper of record for Los Angeles, which usually endorses Democrats, and provides detailed information and endorsements for everything on the ballot in this city.
Los Angeles County Bar Association
A non-partisan organization that evaluates the qualifications of judges, and ranks them as “Exceptionally Well Qualified,” “Well Qualified,” “Qualified,” and “Not Qualified.”
MY VOTING GUIDE
If you live in Los Angeles, I wrote a guide called: “How to Vote on Nov. 8, 2022 in CA!” that provides advice regarding all of the candidates and issues, as well as the following recommendations regarding judges…
SUPERIOR COURT
OFFICE NO. 060: ANNA SLOTKY REITANO
We have two great candidates running for this position. Of the two, I prefer Anna Slotky Reitano, but I also very much admire Abby Baron, who admittedly gets a higher ranking from the LA County Bar Association.
ANNA SLOTKY REITANO: “Public Defender Anna Slotky Reitano is a dedicated felony trial attorney with significant experience in the juvenile courts and a deep commitment to ensuring that people suffering from mental illness are treated with dignity and compassion. Reitano is on the Defenders of Justice slate, a group of four progressive women running for judge seats, and endorsed by Ground Game LA.”
(Source: https://knock-la.com/los-angeles-progressive-voter-guide-june-primary-election-2022)
“Reitano is “Qualified” to be a judge.”
(Source: LA County Bar Association)
ABBY BARON: “Office 60: Abby Baron: Prosecutor Abby Baron has received praise not just from police and crime victims’ advocates but also from defense attorneys, who cite her fairness and desire for a just result rather than a conviction at all costs.”
“Baron is “Well Qualified” to be a judge.”
(Source: LA County Bar Association)
OFFICE NO. 67: ELIZABETH LASHLEY-HAYNES
We also have two great candidates running for this position. I actually originally encouraged people to vote for Fernanda Maria Barreto in the primary, because I wanted to see more diversity on the court. But the more I’ve read about Lashley-Haynes, the more I prefer her, even though Barreto gets a higher rating from the LA County Bar Association. Still, I’ve included information about both candidates below, so that you can make your own decision.
ELIZABETH LASHLEY-HAYNES: “Office №067: Elizabeth Lashley-Haynes is a highly experienced and respected public defender. Most recently, Lashley-Haynes has been chosen to lead her office’s Racial Justice Act unit, researching and litigating the application of new laws intended to prevent racial bias in prosecution and sentencing. She’s on the Defenders of Justice slate and endorsed by Ground Game LA.”
(Source: https://knock-la.com/los-angeles-progressive-voter-guide-june-primary-election-2022)
“Lashley-Haynes is “Qualified” to be a judge.”
(Source: LA County Bar Association)
FERNANDA MARIA BARRETO: “Office No. 67: Fernanda Maria Barreto: Deputy Dist. Atty. Fernanda Maria Barreto is a standout prosecutor, assigned to deal with particularly sensitive cases in the Victim Impact Program, working closely with the alleged victims of domestic abuse, elder abuse, trafficking and child molestation. She also has brief experience in a civil law practice. Importantly, she is respected by defense counsel as well as judges. Running against Barreto is Deputy Public Defender Elizabeth Lashley-Haynes. She has the qualities to be a good judge. Between the two candidates, however, Barreto excels.”
(Source: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-10-07/judicial-endorsements-los-angeles)
“Barreto is “Well Qualified” to be a judge.”
(Source: LA County Bar Association)
OFFICE NO. 70: HOLLY HANCOCK
Almost everyone on the left seems to agree that Hancock is the better choice, even though her opponent got a higher ranking from the LA County Bar Association.
“Office №070: Holly L. Hancock: We recommended Holly Hancock when she first ran for judge in 2018, and we recommend her again. As a public defender, Hancock has faced some of the most difficult courtrooms in the county, and headed the office’s efforts to expunge old convictions and assist the formerly incarcerated to reenter society. She held leadership positions with the Association of Flight Attendants Local 12, a form of advocacy that led her to a legal career. She’s on the Defenders of Justice slate and endorsed by Ground Game LA.”
(Source: https://knock-la.com/los-angeles-progressive-voter-guide-june-primary-election-2022)
“Los Angeles County Deputy Public Defender Holly Hancock is an experienced and accomplished criminal defense lawyer who had an earlier career as a flight attendant and labor union leader, in which she helped to lead efforts to protect aircraft security after the 9/11 attacks. She has an impressive record of courtroom accomplishment, winning her clients reduced charges or outright acquittals in the majority of her cases.
Her opponent is Deputy Dist. Atty. Renee Yolande Chang. She is a well-regarded trial attorney, but of the two candidates, Hancock is the better choice.”
(Source: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-10-07/judicial-endorsements-los-angeles)
“Hancock is “Qualified” to be a judge.”
(Source: LA County Bar Association)
“Chang is “Well Qualified” to be a judge.”
(Source: LA County Bar Association)
OFFICE NO. 90: MELISSA LYONS
Almost everyone on the left seems to agree that Lyons is the better choice, and she also happens to get a higher ranking than her opponent from the LA County Bar Association.
“Judge Seat 90: Melissa Lyons. This is a prosecutor-on-prosecutor contest. Melissa Lyons has sought out and earned the endorsement of Democratic Party clubs and labor. Her opponent, Leslie Gutierrez, is endorsed by 11 police unions, including the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs and the LA Police Protective League.”
“Melissa Lyons has been a deputy district attorney for 16 years, most notably in the Sex Crimes Division. Outside the office she has volunteered with the Summer Night Lights Program sponsored by Los Angeles’ Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development.”
“Lyons is “Well Qualified” to be a judge.”
(Source: LA County Bar Association)
“Gutierrez is “Qualified” to be a judge.”
(Source: LA County Bar Association)
OFFICE NO. 118: CAROLYN “JIYOUNG” PARK
It is important to mention here that Park is ranked “Not Qualified” by the the LA County Bar Association. To their credit, the LA Times acknowledges that this may not be a fair assessment of her capabilities. Nevertheless, they have chosen to endorse her opponent, Melissa Hammond, instead. But considering that Hammond is also the preferred candidate of the police unions, my preference is to choose Park.
“Carolyn “Jiyoung” Park has represented public employees in front of disciplinary boards and practices labor and civil rights law. She argues that her “Not Qualified” rating from the Los Angeles County Bar Assn. (as compared with Hammond’s “Well Qualified” rating) is a reflection of the legal establishment’s preference for a status quo dominated by prosecutors and big-firm lawyers, and she makes a point that’s well worth further examination. Bar association ratings aside, Hammond is the better choice.”
(Source: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-10-07/judicial-endorsements-los-angeles)
“Carolyn “Jiyoung” Park is a former union staff attorney who has litigated civil rights, labor, and tenant cases, and represented union members in arbitrations and collective bargaining, experience that is sadly lacking on the bench. It’s safe to say that only a tiny fraction of the judges ruling on eviction cases have even once represented a tenant. Park is also a committed local and environmental advocate as the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council liaison to the Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance. She would bring real diversity to a bench long dominated by former prosecutors. She’s on the Defenders of Justice slateand endorsed by Ground Game LA.
While the other candidate, Melissa Hammond, has experience as a public defender, she has worked in the district attorney’s office since 2008. She is endorsed by LA County Supervisor Hahn and several police unions.”
“Carolyn “Jiyoung” Park is “Not Qualified” to be a judge.”
(Source: LA County Bar Association)
OFFICE NO. 151: PATRICK HARE
Almost everyone on the left seems to agree that Hare is the better choice, and he also happens to get a higher ranking than his opponent from the LA County Bar Association.
“Office №151: Patrick Hare: Deputy Public Defender Patrick Hare is a highly accomplished criminal defense attorney who enjoys the unusual distinction of being endorsed by dozens of Superior Court judges in a race in which his opponent is a prosecutor. He is widely lauded for his skill, trial experience and integrity..”
(Source: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-10-07/judicial-endorsements-los-angeles)
“Judge Seat 151: Patrick Hare: Patrick Hare, a deputy public defender with more than three decades of experience, is the clear progressive choice in his race against a career prosecutor.”
(Source: https://knock-la.com/los-angeles-progressive-voter-guide-november-midterm-election-2022/)
“Patrick Hare is “Well Qualified” to be a judge.”
(Source: LA County Bar Association)
VOTE YES ON ALL SUPREME COURT, PRESIDING & ASSOCIATE JUSTICES
CHIEF JUSTICE OF CALIFORNIA (PATRICIA GUERRERO): YES
“Patricia Guererro, appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to the Supreme Court earlier this year, is a daughter of immigrants and the first Latina on California’s high court. Now, she’s asking voters to add the first Latina chief justice to her long list of accomplishments. A native of the Imperial Valley, Guerrero worked to help pay her way through the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford Law School. She was a federal prosecutor and a partner at Latham & Watkins LLP, before serving four years as a local court judge in San Diego County. In 2017, then-Gov. Jerry Brown appointed her to a state appeals court. Guererro’s time on the bench is not marked with any sweeping opinions or rulings, according to a recent analysis by the San Diego Union-Tribune.”
(Source: https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/supreme-court/patricia-guerrero/)
ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT (GOODWIN LIU): YES
“Associate Justice Goodwin Liu was nominated to the high court in 2011 by then-Gov. Jerry Brown, and has won one retention election. Now, he’s up for another term. Liu, a former law professor and associate law school dean at the UC Berkeley School of Law, specializes in constitutional, education law and policy and diversity in the legal profession. Liu once clerked for the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
In 2011, he was tapped for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, but then-President Barack Obama withdrew Liu’s nomination after Senate Republicans filibustered. According to news reports at the time, many senators took issue with Liu’s 2006 testimony against the Supreme Court nomination of Samuel Alito. Liu said that Alito’s pro-law enforcement record “envisions an America where police may shoot and kill an unarmed boy to stop him from running away with a stolen purse…. This is not the America we know. Nor is it the America we aspire to be.”
A son of Taiwanese immigrants, Liu grew up in Sacramento, where he attended Rio Americano High School. Liu is a graduate of Stanford University, where he earned a degree in biology. He attended Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship, and he received his law degree from Yale Law School.”
(Source: https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/supreme-court/goodwin-liu/)
ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT (MARTIN J. JENKINS): YES
“Martin J. Jenkins was appointed to the Supreme Court by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020. Jenkins is California’s first openly gay high court justice. Jenkins began his legal career as a local prosecutor and went on to work as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice and as a corporate attorney. He has been put on the bench by both Democrats and Republicans: President Bill Clinton made him a federal district judge, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed him to a state appeals court. A San Francisco native, Jenkins grew up cleaning office buildings and churches with his father. Jenkins graduated from Santa Clara University and the University of San Francisco Law School.”
(Source: https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/supreme-court/martin-j-jenkins/)
ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT (JOSHUA P. GROBAN): YES
“Joshua P. Groban was sworn onto the bench in early 2019, after being confirmed in December 2018. It was his first time working sitting on the other side of the bench. A native of San Diego and a product of San Diego public schools, Groban graduated from Stanford and Harvard Law. He worked at multiple law firms early in his career, where he specialized in civil litigation, focusing on antitrust, internal investigations and intellectual property. He later joined former Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration, advising the governor on more than 600 judicial appointments and on high-profile litigation and policy issues. Brown appointed Groban to the Supreme Court.”
(Source: https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/supreme-court/joshua-groban/)
PRESIDING JUSTICE, COURT OF APPEAL, 2ND DISTRICT, DIVISION ONE (FRANCES ROTHSCHILD): YES
“Frances Rothschild is running for re-election for the 2nd District Division 1 judge of the California Court of Appeal… She was appointed to the court by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on February 10, 2005, and took her oath of office on April 4, 2005. She was retained in 2006. On June 28, 2014, she was appointed presiding justice of Division One, and was confirmed by the California Commission on Judicial Appointments in July. She successfully ran for retention in 2014.”
(Source: https://ballotpedia.org/Frances_Rothschild)
PRESIDING JUSTICE, COURT OF APPEAL, 2ND DISTRICT, DIVISION FIVE (LAURENCE D. RUBIN): YES
“Laurence D. Rubin was confirmed as the Presiding Justice of the Second District Court of Appeal, Division Five, in December 2018. He served as an Associate Justice in Division Eight beginning October 2001. Prior to his appointment, Presiding Justice Rubin was a trial judge on the Los Angeles Superior Court and Santa Monica Municipal Court for 19 years, handling felony, misdemeanor, and civil trials. While a trial court judge, he sat on assignment with the Court of Appeal in 1985, 1992, 1995, and 2000.
During his 32 years on the trial and appellate courts, Justice Rubin has been active in a number of judicial activities. Since 2005, he has been a member of the California Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on the Code of Judicial Ethics. The Committee advises the Supreme Court on ethics matters and on amendments to the Code of Judicial Ethics. Effective January 2013, the Supreme Court amended the Code in a comprehensive manner based on recommendations of its Advisory Committee. Justice Rubin has also chaired the California Judges Association’s Committee on Judicial Ethics and served as the Association’s Vice President in 1996. For seven years, Justice Rubin was a member of the Judicial Council’s Trial Court Coordination Advisory Committee. The work of the Committee eventually produced a series of recommendations that led to the passage of an amendment to the California Constitution and companion legislation that unified the state’s trial courts, resulting in significant savings of financial and judicial resources.
Justice Rubin has long been active in judicial and legal education, teaching ethics, technology, and appellate practice to various associations of judges and attorneys throughout the state. He has served as a mock trial judge and taught legal classes at UCLA and USC, and was President of the UCLA Law Alumni Association. He has also participated in a number of community activities during his legal career. Justice Rubin was previously a member of the Beverly Hills and Santa Monica Bar Association Board of Governors, and served as the former’s Barristers (Young Lawyers) President.
Justice Rubin is a lifelong resident of Los Angeles, having graduated UCLA as an undergraduate (B.A. 1968) and law school (J.D. 1971). Following law school, he was a law clerk for California Supreme Court Justice Stanley Mosk. He then joined the firm of Kaplan, Livingston Goodwin Berkowitz and Selvin, and later Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp, before his appointment to the bench. Justice Rubin is married to Susan Grinel and is the father of two adult sons.”
PRESIDING JUSTICE, COURT OF APPEAL, 2ND DISTRICT, DIVISION EIGHT (MARIA E. STRATTON): YES
“Justice Maria E. Stratton is the Presiding Justice of the Second District Court of Appeal, Division Eight. Justice Stratton was born in Santa Monica, California and raised in San Diego, her father’s last duty station in the United States Navy. She graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Southern California and received her law degree from Boalt Hall at the University of California, Berkeley (now Berkeley Law)…
In 2018, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. appointed Justice Stratton as an Associate Justice to the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Eight. She is presently a member of the Judicial Council’s Probate Curriculum Advisory Committee and Appellate Indigent Defense Oversight Advisory Committee and a former member of the Judicial Council’s Task Force for Criminal Justice Collaboration on Mental Health Issues and the Mental Health Issues Implementation Task force.
In 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Justice Stratton to be Presiding Justice. After receiving an “exceptionally well qualified” rating from the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation, she was unanimously confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments.
Justice Stratton is the recipient of the 2016 Ernestine Stahlhut Award from the Women Lawyer’s Association of Los Angeles, the Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Services from the State Bar of California, and the Mort Herbert Service Award from the Los Angeles Criminal Courts Bar Association. During her career as a trial lawyer, she was recognized by the Los Angeles Daily Journal as one of the Top 75 Women Litigators in California and one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in California; by the Los Angeles County Bar Association Criminal Justice Section as Defense Attorney of the Year; and by the Women Lawyer’s Association of Los Angeles as one of the “First Women of L.A. Law.”
PRESIDING JUSTICE, COURT OF APPEAL, 2ND DISTRICT, DIVISION TWO (JUDITH M. ASHMANN): YES
“Justice Judith Ashmann-Gerst received a Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA in 1965. While working as a Deputy Probation Officer, she enrolled in Whittier Law School and graduated magna cum laude in 1972. She began her legal career working for the State Attorney General’s Office in Los Angeles, where she handled women’s rights, civil rights and consumer fraud issues…
She was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1981, and elected to the Superior Court in 1986. For 18 years, Justice Ashmann-Gerst primarily handled criminal matters in the San Fernando Valley, serving as the Supervising Judge of the North Valley District of the Superior Court. She then transferred downtown, presiding over a fast track civil caseload. She was elevated to the Court of Appeal in December 2001.
Pursuing her interest in judicial education, Justice Ashmann-Gerst has taught ethics and computer use for judges, and has been an instructor at the California Judicial College and the Continuing Judicial Studies Program. She chaired the Judicial Technology Education Committee, and was a long-term member of the Court Technology Advisory Committee. Justice Ashmann-Gerst was appointed to the California Judicial Council in 2011, the policy-making body of the California courts, and serves on its internal committees for Technology and Rules and Projects. She was named San Fernando Valley Bar Association Judge of the Year in 1995; Los Angeles County Bar Association, Criminal Section, Judge of the Year in 1994; and the San Fernando Criminal Courts Bar Judge of the Year for 1990–1991.
Justice Ashmann-Gerst is active in the legal community, including the National Association of Women Judges, California Women Lawyers, and California Judges Association. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Litigation Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers.
Married to attorney Robert J. Gerst, with one son, two stepsons and four grandchildren, Justice Ashmann-Gerst enjoys travel, skiing, and playing golf.”
PRESIDING JUSTICE, COURT OF APPEAL, 2ND DISTRICT, DIVISION THREE (LUIS A. LAVIN): YES
“Luis A. Lavin is running for re-election for the 2nd District Division 3 judge of the California Court of Appeal. Lavin filled the vacancy created by the death of Judge Walter Croskey. He was previously a judge on the Superior Court of Los Angeles County from 2001 to 2015… Lavin received a B.S. from Cornell University and a J.D. from Harvard University.”
(Source: https://ballotpedia.org/Luis_A._Lavin)
PRESIDING JUSTICE, COURT OF APPEAL, 2ND DISTRICT, DIVISION FOUR (AUDREY B. COLLINS): YES
“Justice Collins was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to the California Court of Appeal in 2014. She received an “exceptionally well qualified” rating from the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation and was unanimously confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. Justice Collins was appointed by President Clinton as a United States District Court Judge for the Central District of California in 1994. She served as Chief Judge of the Central District from 2009 through September 2012.
Justice Collins was born and raised near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her family had a strong tradition of public service, which inspired her to seek a career in the law. Justice Collins graduated from Howard University, where she was named Woman of the Year and elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She subsequently received a Masters of Arts in Government and Public Administration from American University in 1979.
After moving to Los Angeles, Justice Collins worked for two years as the Director of the Norman Topping Student Aid Fund at the University of Southern California. She then attended U.C.L.A. Law School, where she was a member of the U.C.L.A. Law Review and Order of the Coif. During her second summer in law school, Justice Collins clerked for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. After serving as a staff attorney for the Los Angeles Legal Aid Foundation, she joined the District Attorney’s Office in 1978. Justice Collins was the first African-American woman to become a Head Deputy, Assistant Bureau Director, and Assistant District Attorney in that office. She was elected President of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys in 1984.
Justice Collins received the U.C.L.A. Alumni Association’s Professional Achievement Award in 1997 and was the UCLA Law School Distinguished Alumnae of the year in 2018. She was awarded the Ernestine Stahlhut Award from the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (WLALA) in 1999. She received the Outstanding Jurist Award from the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) and the Joan Dempsey Klein Distinguished Jurist Award from California Women Lawyers, both in 2012, and was a recipient of Loyola Law School Fidler Institute Award Judge of the Year in 2013. Justice Collins has also received both the Loren Miller Lawyer of the Year and the Bernard Jefferson Justice of the Year awards from the John M. Langston Bar Association. The City of Los Angeles presented Justice Collins with a Hall of Fame award during its African-American Heritage Month celebration in 2016, and she was the 2017 recipient of the Friends of the Los Angeles County Law Library’s Beacon of Justice Award. In 2019 she was the recipient of the Beverly Hills Bar Association’s Ronald M. George Award for Judicial Excellence.
In 1992, Justice Collins served as a Deputy General Counsel on the Webster-Williams Commission, appointed to investigate the LAPD’s response to the April 1992 civil disorder in Los Angeles. She chaired the LACBA Task Force on the State Criminal Justice System, which recommended improvements within the criminal justice system in the aftermath of the LAPD Rampart investigation, from 2002 through 2003.
Justice Collins has served on the WLALA Board of Governors and the Board of Directors of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. She previously chaired the LACBA Criminal Justice Section and served as a member of LACBA’s Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of LACBA’s Litigation Section. Justice Collins also served on the State Bar Committee of Bar Examiners, and is a member of the National Association of Women Judges. She is a lifetime member of the WLALA, California Women Lawyers, National Bar Association, Association of African American California Judicial Officers (AAACJO), Langston Bar Association, and Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles.
Justice Collins is married to Timothy Collins, a native of Los Angeles. They have two adult children, both of whom reside in Los Angeles. Justice Collins enjoys spending time with her children, reading, walking and yoga.”
PRESIDING JUSTICE, COURT OF APPEAL, 2ND DISTRICT, DIVISION FOUR (BRIAN S. CURREY): YES
“Justice Currey attended the University of California, Davis, which recognized him as the outstanding male graduate, and the University of Virginia Law School, where he served on the Virginia Law Review.
He then spent nearly 30 years litigating complex cases at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where he served in various roles including vice-chair of the litigation department…
In 2014, Governor Brown appointed him as a Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. His assignments included presiding over a misdemeanor trial and calendar court, handling a wide variety of cases as the only civil judge at the Compton Courthouse, and serving as the asbestos Coordination Judge at the Complex Civil Litigation Court. He also served pro tem in Divisions 1 and 3 of the Second District Court of Appeal.
Governor Brown appointed him to the Court of Appeal in December 2018. The Commission on Judicial Appointments unanimously confirmed his appointment after the Judicial Nominees Evaluation Commission bestowed an “exceptionally well qualified” rating.
Justice Currey serves as the sole representative of appellate justices on the Board and Executive Board of the California Judges Association (CJA). He also is the liaison between the CJA board and CJA’s Appellate and Civil committees. Justice Currey is the Chair of the California Civility Task Force, a joint project of CJA and the California Lawyers Association, in cooperation with the State Bar of California. The Task Force’s initial report contains meaningful proposals for improving civility in the practice of law in California and may be viewed at Caljudges.org/Civility. Justice Currey is a member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers’ Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Litigation Section. He also belongs to a number of other professional associations. He speaks and writes on legal issues, and has taught at the USC Gould School of Law.
In his spare time, he likes running, hiking, kayaking, fly-fishing, and enjoying life with family and friends.”
PRESIDING JUSTICE, COURT OF APPEAL, 2ND DISTRICT, DIVISION FIVE (LAMAR W. BAKER): YES
“The Commission on Judicial Appointments unanimously confirmed Lamar Baker as a Justice of the Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District in 2015.
Before his appointment to the bench, Justice Baker served as Special Assistant to the President and Associate Counsel to the President at the White House from 2014 to 2015, where he served as Associate Counsel from 2013 to 2014.
From 2012 to 2013, he served as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Policy in Washington, D.C., where he was chief of staff from 2011 to 2012 and senior counsel from 2010 to 2011. During his tenure at the Justice Department, the Attorney General of the United States recognized Justice Baker with the Award for Distinguished Service, the second-highest award given by the Department for employee performance.
From 2005 to 2010, Justice Baker served as a Federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles where he handled public corruption cases and represented the government in criminal appeals. He worked in private practice at the law firm of Strumwasser and Woocher LLP from 2002 to 2005, and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Dorothy W. Nelson at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2001 to 2002.
Justice Baker earned his law degree from Yale Law School and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Political Science from Stanford University. He was born and raised in the San Francisco area.”
PRESIDING JUSTICE, COURT OF APPEAL, 2ND DISTRICT, DIVISION SIX (HERNALDO J. BALTODANO): YES
“Justice Hernaldo J. Baltodano is an Associate Justice of the Second District Court of Appeal. Justice Baltodano was born in Nicaragua, and his family immigrated to the United States when he was 15 months old. At the age of 19, his family received American citizenship. In 1999, Justice Baltodano graduated from the University of California, Davis, with a degree in sociology. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Berkeley Law at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2002.
Justice Baltodano began his legal career as an associate at various law firms in Los Angeles, including Hadsell & Stormer LLP, Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi LLP, and Sanchez & Amador LLP, where he practiced complex employment and class action litigation. He was recognized as Advocate of the Year by Public Counsel in 2009 for his pro bono work on behalf of special needs children. In 2011, Justice Baltodano relocated to San Luis Obispo, where he was a Founding Partner and Senior Litigation Partner at Baltodano & Baltodano LLP until 2017. The firm received the Access to Justice Advocate Award from the San Luis Obispo Legal Assistance Foundation for increasing access to justice.
In November 2017, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Justice Baltodano to the Superior Court of San Luis Obispo County, where he served in the criminal and civil departments. As the Supervising Criminal Judge from December 2020 to September 2021, Justice Baltodano was instrumental in creating pre-trial services, mental health diversion treatment, and misdemeanor diversion programs for San Luis Obispo County. Justice Baltodano is an active member of the California Judges Association (“CJA”), having served as a member of the Executive Board, the JetPAC (Judicial, Excellence, Together) Committee, and Vice Chair of the CJA Judicial Elections Committee. In addition, Justice Baltodano is an active member of the California Latino/a Judges Association, serves on Governor Gavin Newsom’s Judicial Selection Advisory Committee for the Central Coast Region, regularly judges mock trial competitions for county middle school and high school students, and speaks to students of all ages about the judiciary.
In June 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Justice Baltodano as an Associate Justice to the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, in Division Six. The Commission on Judicial Appointments unanimously confirmed his appointment on August 3, 2022.
Justice Baltodano resides in San Luis Obispo with his wife of nearly 20 years and their two school-age children.”
PRESIDING JUSTICE, COURT OF APPEAL, 2ND DISTRICT, DIVISION SEVEN (JOHN L. SEGAL): YES
“Justice Segal has served as an Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal since 2015.
In 2000 Justice Segal was appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, where he served as a trial judge until 2015 and presided over civil and criminal cases. His assignments on the Superior Court included 12 years in unlimited civil individual calendar courts in the Stanley Mosk, Santa Monica, and West Los Angeles courthouses. He also served as a justice pro tem in the Court of Appeal from January 2010 to June 2010, August 2012 to March 2013, and May 2013 to December 2014.
In May 2015 Justice Segal was nominated to the Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Seven. The Commission on Judicial Appointments confirmed his nomination in July 2015.
Justice Segal is actively involved in state and local bar associations. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Section of Litigation of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Board of Governors of the Beverly Hills Bar Association, the Board of Governors of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, and as an advisor to the Executive Committee of the Litigation Section of the State Bar of California. He is participates in the Los Angeles County Bar Association Litigation Trial Practice Inn of Court and the Beverly Hills Bar Association Southern California Business Litigation Inn of Court.
Justice Segal was born and raised in Los Angeles. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and Philosophy from Williams College in 1982, and his law degree from the University of Southern California School of Law in 1987. After law school he served as a law clerk for Judge Robert S. Vance of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit from 1987 to 1988. He was an associate from 1988 to 1995, and then a partner from 1995 to 2000, with the law firm of Mitchell, Silberberg and Knupp, where he helped run the Appellate Practice Group.
Justice Segal is married to Chief United States Magistrate Judge Suzanne H. Segal of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. They have two adult children. Justice Segal teaches Remedies at the University of Southern California School of Law, sings tenor in a congregational choir, and plays third base for his softball team.”
PRESIDING JUSTICE, COURT OF APPEAL, 2ND DISTRICT, DIVISION EIGHT (JOHN SHEPARD WILEY): YES
“Justice John Shepard Wiley Jr. was appointed to the Superior Court in 2002 and to the Court of Appeal in 2018. He clerked for Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr. of the Supreme Court of the United States and for Judge Frank Coffin of the First Circuit. Wiley has published in the Harvard Law Review, Yale Law Journal, University of Chicago Law Review, Virginia Law Review, Duke Law Review, Michigan Law Review, Columbia Law Review, and American Economics Review. Wiley was tenured at UCLA Law School, where he won UCLA’s Distinguished Teaching Award, and was a visiting professor at Harvard Law School. He was a federal prosecutor.”
PRESIDING JUSTICE, COURT OF APPEAL, 2ND DISTRICT, DIVISION EIGHT (ELIZABETH ANNETTE GRIMES): YES
“Elizabeth A. Grimes is running for re-election for the 2nd District Division 8 judge of the California Court of Appeal. She was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, unanimously confirmed and sworn in on April 5, 2010.[1] Grimes was retained by voters on November 2, 2010… Grimes is a graduate of Stanford Law School and the University of Texas at Austin. She was admitted to practice law in 1980.”
(Source: https://ballotpedia.org/Elizabeth_A._Grimes)
Make sure to vote! Remember, you can vote in person, or mail your ballot, or put it in a ballot drop box by Nov. 8th.