Judicial Candidate K.C. Jones Removed As Temporary Judge
Posted by: Jubal | 05/19/2008 4:38 PM
The Superior Court system makes use of Temporary Judges (they used to be called judge pro tem) to help alleviate the case load on the regular judges: small claims, traffic court, settlement conferences, etc. As I'm sure most readers are unaware (I know I was), there is an Orange County Superior Court Temporary Judge Committee overseeing this institution.
There is also a prohibition against the misuse of the Temporary Judge title for political purposes.
Which leads us to the case of KC Jones's campaign for judge.
In his campaign, Jones touts his status as a Temporary Judge as a leading qualification why he should be elected.
That touting has, in the judgment of the Temporary Judge Committee, run afoul of the governing code of ethics and canons. Consequently, the committee last week removed Jones as a temporary judge for the improper utilization of the title temporary judge in his political campaign.
What is the practical effect? Hard to say. It will hurt him to the extent it is covered in the new and old media, but its too late the remove the "serve as Temporary Judge" reference from his candidate statement.
And since judicial candidates are lucky if they can raise enough to pay for a mailer or two, Jones' opponents certainly can't afford to use it against him in a hit piece -- although a single negative mailer on the subject would send the S.S. Jones to the bottom.
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Mr. Ayer registered as a Republican to be electable in an interim election with no incumbents. He did...
I don't get it. Sounds a little stretched to me. It's not as if he uses the title of "temporary judge" in his ballot designation or anything.
If he's been a temporary judge, then he should be allowed to say that "being a temporary judge has prepared me to be a superior court judge," no? Or did he say something more than that? Or is there something very specific in the rules that says "thou shall not mention the words 'temporary judge' in thy campaigns"?
In response to Bolsavik's question, there is no such rule.
In fact, the Code of Judicial Ethics specifically allows making reference to such service in the context of a judicial election. Rule 6 (9)(b) states: "This Canon does not prohibit a temporary judge . . . from using his of her title or service as a temporary judge . . . on an individual resume or a descriptive statement submitted in connection with an application for employment or for appointment or election to a judicial position, or in response to a request for information about the public service in which the lawyer has engaged."
I hope this clears up any question as to the propriety of my reference to my experience as a temporary judge.