ILC’s 2020 Judicial Election Summary

It has been said repeatedly that this may be the most important election the country has faced in modern times. I do not dispute that. This blog post, however, is to explain how important some of the down ballot races can be – in particular the races for Superior Court Judges.

These races potentially may have a big impact on your business or your community depending on the type of judge who gets elected. I once witnessed an Orange County judge allow a baseless claim go the jury and return a $16 million verdict that would bankrupt a growing business and put 200 people out of work in his community. It was at that moment in which I recognize how judges are part of the business infrastructure of a community.

So there may come a time when the fate of your company or a loved one depends on having an informed and competent judge to consider their case.  That is why the judicial races should not be ignored or voted on an “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” basis.  Unfortunately, information on the races is not easily accessible to mosts voters.

In many parts of the state, the Superior Court races were decided in the March primary. Los Angeles and San Diego Counties appear to be the only Southern Californian counties with contested judicial elections this fall

For Los Angeles County voters, LAist has done the homework for you and provided a summary of the races with links to the candidate websites and ratings from the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) that is available here. 

In evaluating the candidates, check the candidate’s endorsements to see if they have broad support in the community.  If the candidate comes from a background as a prosecutor, consider whether they have had exposure to business or other issues that may be relevant to you.

For the most part, I think our judges are capable and dedicated public servants.  Our job on election day is to make sure that the most capable candidates are elected.

For your reference, I have included a summary below and also indicated my choice. Feel from to contact me should you wish to discuss any of the choices.

Office 72	Myanna Dellinger	Steve Morgan
Background	Law Professor/Attorney	Deputy Dist. Atty
LA Cty Bar	Not Qualified	Well Qualified
Newspaper Endorsements		LA Times LA Daily News
Party Endorsements		LA County Democrats
ILC		☑️

Office 80	David Berger	Klint James McKay
Background	Deputy Dist. Atty	Admin. Law Judge
LA Cty Bar	Qualified	Well Qualified
Newspaper Endorsements	LA Times	LA Daily News
Party Endorsements	LA County Democrats
ILC		☑️

Office 162	David Diamond	Scott Andrew Yang
Background	Attorney/Adj. Professor	Deputy Dist. Atty
LA Cty Bar	Well Qualified	Well Qualified
Newspaper Endorsements	LA Times LA Daily News
Party Endorsements		LA County Democrats
ILC		☑️

There is also a single race in San Diego County.

Office 36	Michelle Ialeggio	Shawn McMillan
Background	Deputy Dist. Atty	Plaintiff’s Lawyer
SD Cty Bar	Exceptionally Qualified	Lacking Qualifications
Newspaper Endorsements	SD Union-Tribune
Party Endorsements	SD County Democrats
ILC	☑️