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Los Angeles County Superior Court judge races 2026
Choose one candidate in each race. All are open seats with no incumbent running.
Tip: tap "+ Compare" on up to 3 judges to see them side by side.
Office No. 64
Deputy District Attorney, County of Los Angeles · LACBA: Well Qualified
LA deputy DA with 6+ years in Gang Homicide; MetNews reports 85+ jury trials, 21 of them homicides. Rated Well Qualified by LACBA; no controversies found.
44.1% in JuneNo civil record found
Outside rating. LACBA: Well Qualified
Conduct. None found.
Endorsements. MetNews, LA County Democratic Party, Colorado Boulevard. Self-reported: LA Daily News, SEIU 721, police and deputy unions, DA Hochman, 75+ judges.
Trellis attorney record (civil cases only). No civil cases found with her as counsel. Her practice is criminal prosecution.
Deputy Public Defender, County of Los Angeles · LACBA: Qualified
LA deputy public defender since 2004; rated Qualified. MetNews, which opposes her, reports a 2024 contempt finding and a 2026 court admonishment over a missed appearance.
42.1% in JuneNo civil record found
Outside rating. LACBA: Qualified
Conduct. Reported mainly by MetNews, which opposes her: held in contempt by a judge she later ran against (2024); a May 2026 remark about a judge's religion that Southwestern Law School condemned; a July 2026 court order admonishing her for a missed appearance and interfering with deputies; and a listed endorsement from Supervisor Barger that Barger's office said was untrue.
Endorsements. Self-reported: Mayor Karen Bass, Supervisor Holly Mitchell, Rep. Maxine Waters (recommended), Public Defender Ricardo Garcia, UNITE HERE 11, LA Sentinel.
Trellis attorney record (civil cases only). No civil cases found with her as counsel. Her practice is criminal defense.
Office No. 65
Deputy Public Defender, County of Los Angeles · LACBA: Qualified
Supervising deputy public defender at the Inglewood branch; self-reports dozens of trials, including three life cases. Rated Qualified by LACBA; no controversies found.
36.7% in JuneTrellis civil record
Outside rating. LACBA: Qualified
Conduct. None found.
Endorsements. LA County Democratic Party, Colorado Boulevard. Self-reported: Public Defender Garcia, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, about 17 judges.
Trellis attorney record (civil cases only). 1 civil case found (medium confidence): plaintiff's counsel in a 2013 breach-of-contract case against Bank of America in Compton, dismissed in 2014.
Deputy County Counsel, County of Los Angeles · LACBA: Qualified
Deputy county counsel supervising civil litigation, after 10+ years as a public defender; rated Qualified. MetNews questioned her independence over a 2022 slate and her ballot title.
29.9% in JuneTrellis civil record
Outside rating. LACBA: Qualified
Conduct. The Registrar trimmed her proposed ballot title. She lost a 2022 judicial race while on a slate backed by La Defensa; MetNews questioned her independence over both.
Endorsements. Daily News (per her site); both eliminated primary candidates.
Trellis attorney record (civil cases only). 1 civil case confirmed under her maiden name: counsel for a sheriff's department employee challenging a Civil Service Commission decision (2010). County Counsel work is filed under the office, not individual attorneys, so it does not appear.
Office No. 87
Deputy Public Defender, County of Los Angeles · LACBA: Well Qualified
About 25 years as an LA deputy public defender, 19 in Compton; now handles special-circumstance murders. Rated Well Qualified by LACBA; former aerospace worker; no controversies found.
42.0% in JuneNo civil record found
Outside rating. LACBA: Well Qualified
Conduct. None found.
Endorsements. MetNews, Daily News, Colorado Boulevard. Self-reported: police unions (PORAC, LAPPL), SEIU 721, Mexican American Bar Association, former DA Steve Cooley, about 30 judges.
Trellis attorney record (civil cases only). No civil cases confirmed with him as counsel. Two 2002 harassment cases list an Anthony Bayne, but identity could not be confirmed. His practice is criminal defense.
Law Professor/Attorney · LACBA: Qualified
Former federal prosecutor and Sony Pictures litigation VP; adjunct running Pepperdine's Disaster Relief Clinic; rated Qualified. MetNews calls his 'Law Professor' ballot title misleading.
31.3% in JuneTrellis civil record
Outside rating. LACBA: Qualified
Conduct. MetNews argues his "Law Professor" title is misleading since he is an adjunct, and criticized a 2018 campaign site that implied he was still a federal prosecutor.
Endorsements. LA County Democratic Party, Rep. Ted Lieu, Treasurer Fiona Ma, Sen. Ben Allen, Rick Caruso.
Trellis attorney record (civil cases only). 20 civil cases confirmed as counsel, 2009 to 2026, mostly in LA County (also Riverside, Orange, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura). Mix: commercial and contract disputes, landlord-tenant, torts. Roughly half plaintiff, half defense. Includes plaintiff's counsel in a mass tort against Southern California Edison.
Office No. 131
Deputy Public Defender, County of Los Angeles · LACBA: Qualified
LA deputy public defender since 1998 handling capital cases; former president of the statewide Public Defenders Association; rated Qualified. MetNews notes critics who call her abrasive.
37.3% in JuneTrellis court record
Outside rating. LACBA: Qualified
Conduct. MetNews notes critics who call her abrasive and a "competent" office rating.
Endorsements. MetNews, Daily News, Colorado Boulevard, SEIU 721, Public Defender Garcia, Steve Cooley, Crime Survivors PAC.
Trellis attorney record (civil cases only). No cases as counsel, but court records show she sat as a temporary judge (judge pro tem) in LA small claims court in 2021, across about 30 cases.
Deputy Alternate Public Defender, County of Los Angeles · LACBA: Qualified
LA County alternate public defender since 2000 and former TV reporter; self-reports 113 jury trials; rated Qualified. 'Alternate' was added to his ballot title after a protest.
33.2% in JuneNo civil record found
Outside rating. LACBA: Qualified
Conduct. He first filed as "Deputy Public Defender"; after a protest, "Alternate" was added to match his office.
Endorsements. Self-reported: about 90 judges, the LA deputy DAs' association, multiple unions, Working Families Party, Steve Cooley, LA Sentinel.
Trellis attorney record (civil cases only). Could not be determined. Hundreds of California cases list a David Ross, but none could be tied to this candidate. His practice is criminal defense.