Challenger Carla Keehn, federal prosecutor
See also Education attorney Dan Shinoff steps up to support embattled judge Lisa Schall. See all posts re Carla Keehn.
See all posts re Judge Lisa Schall.
For the first time in recent memory, we have a challenger for San Diego Superior Court Judge who isn't a right-wing extremist. San Diego Democrats have endorsed Carla Keehn to replace Judge Lisa Schall.
I still think judges should be appointed, not elected. I'd like to see them chosen from a pool of qualified candidates by lottery. Judicial appointments are almost as political as elections (see second story below about Lisa Schall's rebuke for politicking for the governor who appointed her, George Deukmejian. But for now, it's nice to see a serious person challenging judges who ignore the law.
Judge Lisa Schall
San Diego Democrats Vote to Endorse Carla Keehn for Jurist Seat 20Question regarding the following story: would Judge Schall have continued to do favors for Governor Dukmejian if Mike Aguirre had not been present at the Southland Club political forum? Would any other lawyer have filed a complaint? Lawyers willing to speak truth to power are rare. The California Bar Association is basically a business group, dedicated to keeping the money flowing to its pockets from a well-oiled justice system. It does not seem to be much interested in promoting ethics in our legal system.
Posted on March 19, 2014
Katy's Exposure
The San Diego Democratic Party’s Central Committee met on the evening of March 18th in Kearny Mesa. According to Committee Chair Francine Busby, last night’s packed room was an unusual occurrence for their committee meetings. The crowd overwhelmingly voted “Aye” to endorse Carla Keehn as the best candidate for San Diego County Superior Court jurist seat 20. Committee member and Oceanside City Councilwoman, Esther Sanchez, spoke to delay the endorsement vote until April. She was one of only three or four ”Nay” votes heard.
The incumbent judge in seat 20 is Lisa Schall. Appointed to the bench 28 years ago by Governor Deukmejian, her ballot statement claims she is endorsed for the upcoming June 3rd election by ”All 125 judges of the San Diego Superior Court”. Her website claims endorsement of the statewide jurist organization, the “Alliance of California Judges”.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Paula Rosenstein was appointed to the bench by Governor Brown in late 2012. In February of this year, she and fellow sitting judge, David Rubin, caused Ms. Keehn to lose the election endorsement of Tom Homann LGBT Law Group by questionable means. Judge Rosenstein also spoke at the February Democratic Party’s meeting against a Keehn election endorsement. She did not attend last night’s meeting.
Loud cheers went out in the crowd when Keehn took the podium to speak before votes were cast last night. Seems the local Dems understand that by law, Thou Can Challenge a Sitting Judge!
Judge's Credibility Lacking
Los Angeles Times
September 28, 1986
As a judge of the San Diego Municipal Court, Lisa Guy-Schall from time to time is called upon to consider the credibility of witnesses. We can't help wondering how she would react to a witness who told the same kind of story she told last week when she was accused of violating the Code of Judicial Conduct.
The trouble started when Guy-Schall showed up to speak on behalf of Gov. George Deukmejian at a candidates' forum sponsored by the Southland Club for Business and Professional Women. Attorney Michael Aguirre, a Democrat who is not known for his reluctance to enter a controversy, was at the meeting representing Deukmejian's opponent, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley.
Aguirre filed a complaint with the California Commission on Judicial Performance alleging that Guy-Schall's talk was a violation of judicial ethics guidelines that prohibit judges from endorsing or campaigning for candidates for non-judicial office.
Guy-Schall responded that she was unaware the meeting the Deukmejian campaign asked her to address was political. She said she never saw the flyer that clearly advertised the meeting as a political forum, and since she arrived late and spoke first she did not get the true sense of the meeting until Aguirre began to criticize her in his own speech.
Guy-Schall said her speech was not "a typical campaign talk," but rather addressed the progress of women in business and industry during the last four years.
" . . . Naturally, Governor Deukmejian came into it," she said.
It's hard to imagine a judge being quite so naive. We suspect--and hope--that were this a case in Municipal Court, Judge Guy-Schall would find witness Guy-Schall lacking credibility.
