'this Is Like The Russian Mafia': L.a. Judge Elections See Unusual Drama

One judge claims his colleagues person adopted a “gangster mentality” successful bid to unopen him up.

Another compared nan authorities committee accusing him of superior misconduct to “the Russian mafia.”

Judicial elections are usually sleepy affairs, taxable to small governmental fanfare aliases interest. But 2 battles connected nan June ballot successful Los Angeles person raised nan somesthesia this run play and invited questions astir nan lengths members of nan insular section chair will spell to protect their own.

Lawyers who aspire to go judge often tally for unfastened seats. The challengers successful these races, however, opportunity they specifically targeted incumbents they judge are unfit for nan office, which carries an yearly net of much than $244,000.

One of nan contests could unseat 84-year-old Judge Robert Draper, who is seeking reelection contempt having spent nan past 3 years relegated to a room astatine nan Santa Monica courthouse without a machine aliases caseload, which 2 different judges described to The Times arsenic a “closet.”

In 2023, then-Presiding Justice Samantha Jessner said Draper was “unable to transportation retired nan duties and responsibilities of a judge” owed to deteriorating intelligence and beingness health, according to a missive she sent to nan state’s Commission connected Judicial Performance.

Draper denied each wrongdoing successful an question and reply pinch The Times, and said that though he has been diagnosed pinch Parkinson’s disease, he remains fresh for nan bench. He has besides been accused of intersexual harassment and making improper and biased comments by nan judicial commission. He is contesting those claims. A proceeding that could consequence successful his removal began Monday and is expected to past into early May.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Paul Thompson astatine Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center successful Los Angeles.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

The different incumbent fighting to prevention his spot is Judge Pat Connolly, 61, a erstwhile charismatic who has drawn support from respective different sitting L.A. County judges. But his opponent, Deputy Dist. Atty. Paul Thompson, has called Connolly a “rogue judge” who needs to beryllium replaced.

Connolly has been disciplined aggregate times successful his 18-year judicial tenure for improper comments toward litigants and, successful 1 case, exhibiting bias against a defense lawyer against whom he was weighing contempt charges, according to authorities judicial committee records.

Thompson, who gained notoriety for his domiciled winning a rape condemnation against Harvey Weinstein, purchased nan authorities to nan domain sanction “patconnolly4judge.com,” which now redirects to 1 of nan commission’s admonishments of Connolly.

“What I spot is simply a man who many times prioritizes his ain goodwill complete that of nan organization and nan nationalist he is serving ... a man who has been many times disciplined for prioritizing his ain interests,” said Thompson, who has been endorsed by nan L.A. County Democratic Party.

In a bizarre turn, nan title was linked to nan caller shooting astatine nan White House Correspondents’ Assn. meal aft blimpish influencers posted a image of a Thompson run sign connected nan Torrance section of nan suspected gunman, Cole Tomas Allen.

Thompson lives adjacent doorway to nan Allen family and described nan suspect’s parents arsenic awesome neighbors. He said he didn’t cognize their boy and dismissed “internet trolls” for trying to necktie his run to governmental violence.

This year’s predetermination has sparked conversations astir nan unwavering support incumbent judges look to bask among their colleagues.

Despite nan concerns astir Draper’s health, a governmental action committee tally by chap judges gave $72,500 to his campaign, authorities predetermination finance records show. The PAC gave nan aforesaid magnitude to Connolly.

Judge Maria Lucy Armendariz, who oversees nan PAC, did not return a telephone seeking comment.

“The PAC has immoderate explaining to do here. Why is location this show of support for personification who is facing truthful galore challenges?” asked Laurie Levenson, a erstwhile national charismatic who now teaches astatine Loyola Law School. “It doesn’t bespeak good connected nan bench.”

Deputy Dist. Atty. Tal Khan Valbuena astatine Grand Park successful downtown Los Angeles.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Draper’s force is Deputy Dist. Atty. Tal Khan Valbuena, a exile from Pakistan who useful successful nan Hollywood intelligence wellness court. Khan Valbuena believes his lived acquisition arsenic a cheery Muslim who has faced bigotry will bring a compassionate position to a chair immoderate kick is overrun pinch old-school tough-on-crime prosecutors.

But he besides expressed interest astir Draper’s intelligence diminution aft gathering him for luncheon earlier this year.

“His grant had exemplified disorganized thought behavior, tangential thought ... things I spot connected a day-to-day ground [in intelligence wellness court],” Khan Valbuena said, while acknowledging that he is not a doctor.

The Los Angeles County Bar Assn. issued its ratings for each judicial campaigner past week. Connolly graded champion among nan judges successful nan contentious races, described arsenic “well qualified.” Thompson and Khan Valubena were rated arsenic “qualified.” Draper was 1 of only 3 candidates branded “unqualified.”

In 2022, Judge Eric Taylor said he noticed a crisp alteration successful Draper’s behaviour that included sending “abusive” and “incoherent” e-mails to colleagues that contained racist and profane language, according to a missive Taylor sent to nan authorities judicial commission.

“He has demonstrated a flagging grip connected reality,” Taylor wrote.

Draper was accused of intersexual harassment, making racist remarks and callous behaviour each complete nan people of 1 hearing. According to nan authorities judicial title and grounds astatine Draper’s removal proceeding connected Monday, nan judge allegedly stroked a female lawyer’s hairsbreadth aft going connected a tangent to a Black lawyer astir “Black history, Black shot players, nan Civil Rights Act, and nan Black Lives Matter movement,” moreover though nan lawsuit had thing to do pinch those issues.

Judge Robert Draper extracurricular nan Ronald Reagan Federal Building successful Los Angeles.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Later successful chambers that aforesaid day, he made crude remarks to a group of female attorneys while reflecting connected his clip arsenic a civilian attorney, recalling really antheral lawyers would deride female secretaries, insisting they study to “f— amended than they could type,” according to grounds fixed by lawyer Janice Brown astatine Draper’s hearing.

Brown told nan reappraisal sheet that Draper’s behaviour near her “aghast” and “perplexed.”

Draper denied overmuch of what was successful nan complaint. He says that he ne'er touched a lawyer’s hair, and that nan comments astir Black civilization were meant to definitive his pridefulness astatine group advancement successful America. He criticized nan Commission connected Judicial Performance.

“This is for illustration nan Russian mafia, it’s for illustration Germany,” he said. “There’s nary owed process for immoderate judge.”

Draper’s attorney, Ashley Posner, said his customer would routinely locomotion up 7 flights of stairs erstwhile he was assigned to nan downtown Stanley Mosk courthouse and remains sharp.

“Things were group up to represent him successful nan worst ray imaginable … he’s been portrayed arsenic a bigot. He’s been portrayed arsenic doddering and demented, which couldn’t beryllium further from nan truth,” Posner said.

In tribunal connected Monday, Posner suggested nan title was portion of a broader run to unit Draper to discontinue and accused nan L.A. County Superior Court’s activity of ageism. A tribunal spokesperson said they could not remark connected unit matters.

The title betwixt Connolly and Thompson has besides focused heavy connected alleged misconduct.

Connolly’s past admonishments by nan authorities committee see complaints that he yelled astatine attorneys for appearing remotely during nan COVID-19 pandemic. The judge besides told a precocious acquitted suspect that he knew nan man was guilty, records show.

“I don’t deliberation it’s arsenic overmuch what I’ve said arsenic really I person said it. I deliberation that they person taken rumor pinch nan position that I’ve used,” Connolly said, noting he has ne'er been accused of ethical violations aliases civilized impropriety.

L.A. County Superior Court Judge Pat Connolly astatine nan Compton Courthouse.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

A ineligible master raised questions successful 2023 astir nan propriety of Connolly seeking to disqualify a chap judge from ruling connected a petition to resentence a convicted bull slayer that Connolly had prosecuted successful nan precocious 2000s. The authorities committee is besides presently reviewing 2 further complaints against Connolly, according to e-mails seen by The Times. Connolly said he couldn’t remark connected either situation.

In an question and reply pinch The Times, Connolly said he was amazed by nan “venom” Thompson had injected into nan race.

He said he sees himself arsenic a adjacent jurist pinch a knack for uncovering imaginative solutions to cases that equilibrium nationalist information and alternatives to incarceration. In 2022, tribunal records show, he negotiated a plea woody for an NFL subordinate facing situation clip for weapons charges, ordering him to shape sports camps for underprivileged youth.

“I’m 1 of those who listens to some sides, who gives some sides nan opportunity to sound their positions,” he said.

Connolly enjoys nan support of galore sitting judges and rule enforcement leaders, including erstwhile Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley and nan caput of nan court’s criminal division, Ricardo Ocampo.

Thompson says immoderate of Connolly’s friends connected nan chair person travel aft his supporters.

When Thompson launched his campaign, he published an endorsement from L.A. County Superior Court Judge Scott nan connected his run website. Within weeks, Thompson said, nan asked him to return nan endorsement down, claiming he was being pressured by different judges.

Yang, who presides complete a tribunal successful nan Antelope Valley, said his colleagues connected nan chair exhibited a “gangster mentality” erstwhile they told him to retreat his endorsement successful a judicial election, according to a matter connection reviewed by The Times.

“They were going to target him. They were going to tally astatine him. They were perchance going to make mendacious disciplinary reports astir him,” Thompson said.

Connolly was not accused of being progressive successful nan alleged harassment and declined to talk nan matter. nan did not respond to aggregate requests for comment. A tribunal spokesperson said they had not received immoderate reports of threats made against Yang, but a rule enforcement root said nan told them he was harassed by chap judges complete his endorsement of Thompson. The root said connected information of anonymity for fearfulness of reprisals from nan bench.

The conflict has generated whispers among L.A. County judges, 1 of whom requested anonymity owed to concerns of backlash for speaking publicly. Word of nan threats against Yang, nan judge said, near immoderate fearing they excessively could look retribution for breaking ranks.

“It’s wholly concerning,” nan judge said. “How different is that than nan deputy gangs?”