Four Candidates We Judge Best for Bench : Nomoto, Iles, Dutcher, O’Connell Deserve to Be Elected

Despite all the public interest in crime and punishment, this year’s election is in one respect no different from others in the past. Most voters still will know little, if anything, about the judicial candidates on the ballot.

Yet people know what they want in their judges. They want them to be independent, patient, have a proven record of ability and integrity, know the law, work hard, be fair, tough when necessary, and able to see the issues and make a decision.

Of the nine candidates seeking four judicial posts in Orange County on June 7, we recommend the following four:

Superior Court (countywide), Office 9: B. Tam Nomoto. Two highly qualified municipal judges are seeking this open Superior Court seat. Judge Nomoto’s stellar background gives her an edge. When first named to the bench in 1979, she was the youngest judge ever appointed in the state. She has the experience in civil and criminal law that is needed on the Superior Court level and has been described as “brilliant” by many of her colleagues. Judge Nomoto teaches law, has served on the state Judges’ Ethics Committee and the state Judicial Council, and helped create Orange County’s first victim-witness program. She is eminently qualified for the Orange County Superior Court, where cases are more complicated.

South Orange County Municipal Court, Office 1: Pamela L. Iles. Iles, the incumbent, is a no-nonsense judge who in her 12 years on the bench has been honored for her work in victims rights and the prevention of child abuse, domestic violence and drunk driving. She knows the law and how to apply it--and should be retained.

West Orange County Municipal Court (Westminster-Huntington Beach area), Office 2: Dan C. Dutcher. Dutcher can be outspoken at times, especially when he thinks attorneys are not doing their jobs as well as they should. But in his 12 years on the bench, he has demonstrated fairness to go along with his candor. He is considered the best of the three candidates by his peers and has the support of most of the judges of the West Municipal Court. In the Orange County Bar Assn. Judicial Evaluation Poll of members, Judge Dutcher received a much higher “qualified” rating than his two opponents. He unquestionably deserves another term.

Central Orange County Municipal Court (Santa Ana-Orange area), Office 3: Dennis Patrick O’Connell. Unlike the other incumbent judges we have recommended, Judge Claude E. Whitney faces voters with a serious cloud over his candidacy--and a bright challenger, O’Connell, who deserves election. Whitney has been accused of refusing defendants some of their basic constitutional rights by denying them bail hearings and court-appointed attorneys. Whitney, a judge since 1989, denies the allegations. But in an unprecedented action, the County Bar Assn. censured him for “systematic denial of due process.” And the state Commission on Judicial Performance this month filed misconduct charges against Whitney, a rare action it takes in only about 1% of the cases brought before it.

Unfortunately, it took the commission more than a year to act and order a hearing, so the matter won’t be resolved before the June 7 election. That’s unfair to Judge Whitney--and the public. But even if Judge Whitney is found innocent of those charges, he has shown poor judgment and judicial demeanor. O’Connell is a private practice attorney with extensive trial experience. A large percentage of his peers in the Bar Assn. poll found O’Connell far more qualified. We agree, and urge his election.