News
Judges and Judiciary
Feb. 26, 2002
Among Candidates, Woman Hopes to Stand Out
LOS ANGELES - On March 5, 21 candidates will compete for seven Superior Court seats. Among them are many prosecutors, several civil litigators and a handful of administrative law judges. But only one in the group is a woman.
Prosecutor Lauren Weis is running for the seat of retiring Judge Michael A. Kanner against three male challengers.
She says that, while she would like to see more women in the field, she hopes she can use the distinction to her advantage.
"I think it's going to help a great deal," Weis said, "because I think it makes me stand out, and we need diversity on the bench."
To be the only woman elected to the Superior Court in Los Angeles this year, the prosecutor will have to beat out Covina sole practitioner H. Don Christian, Baldwin Park sole practitioner Richard Espinoza and civil litigator Richard Harrison of Harrison & Harrison in Los Angeles.
If none of the candidates receives a majority of votes in the March 5 primary election, there will be a runoff between the two top vote-getters on Nov. 5.
Christian, 59, who has had a general practice in the Covina area for 30 years, said that several of his former partners have gone on to become judges and that he knows what the job takes. He believes his wealth of experience would serve him well on the bench.
As a judge, he said, "You don't know if you're going to serve in civil, criminal, probate or juvenile, and I've worked in [each] one of those areas."
Christian also has worked as a teacher and holds a teaching credential, something that he believes also would be useful.
"I think every judge is basically a teacher," he said. "You are in an instructional position, and I feel very comfortable doing that."
Espinoza, 59, has volunteered for years as a judge pro tem and served as a temporary commissioner - experience that he believes is critical to becoming a judge.
"My involvement doing [judicial work] on a voluntary basis for such a long period of time has given me the idea of what it's all about," Espinoza said. "The fact that I've done it and really enjoyed it, I think, goes a long way toward making this the right choice for me."
In 1996, Espinoza ran for Citrus Municipal Court, finishing third of six candidates, he said. He decided to run again because he volunteers so much for the court anyway, and he would prefer to be a full-time judge.
Robert Harrison, 44, who focuses on business and entertainment litigation, says that he decided to run after the deaths of several people close to him and the Sept. 11 tragedy made him re-evaluate his professional life.
"I decided to run for election in order to take my commitment to public service and social justice to a higher level," Harrison said.
Openly gay for 25 years, Harrison says he believes he could bring a unique point of view to the bench.
"[Being gay] makes me more conscious of keeping poise, not letting people bother you and bother me. [I would try] to bring a gentleness to the system so people can be heard and be acknowledged, and I think that makes me different."
Weis, 52, is a head deputy district attorney and a 23-year veteran of the office. She also has served as head of the Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Division and was named Prosecutor of the Year by the Century City Bar Association in 1999.
"I want to be a judge because I have a genuine and demonstrated concern for the fair and equal administration of justice," she said. "I have devoted my entire career to public service and have gained a vast range of experience that qualifies me for a position on the bench and sets me apart from my opponents."
Weis was the only candidate to successfully challenge the Los Angeles County Bar Association's evaluation of her qualifications for a seat on the bench. Initially rated as "Qualified," Weis garnered the highest rating of "Well Qualified," joining eight others who won that distinction.
Christian, Harrison and Weis are graduates of Loyola Law School, earning their degrees in 1970, 1984 and 1977, respectively.
Espinoza earned his law degree from Western State University College of Law in 1975.
In addition to Weis, the County Bar rated Christian "Well Qualified." The association rated Harrison and Espinoza "Qualified."
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Erin Carroll
Daily Journal Staff Writer
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