Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Page 3
CJP Sets Oral Argument on Charges Against Veteran Judge
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Oral argument before the Commission on Judicial Performance regarding possible misconduct by an Orange Superior Court accused of improperly ruling on traffic citations involving his courtroom clerk, several friends, and his son-in-law has been set for Dec. 7, the commission announced yesterday.
The commission is set to conduct the 1:30 p.m. hearing in the Ceremonial Courtroom of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco. It is open to the public.
Formal proceedings were instituted against Judge Richard Stanford, a 26-year veteran of Orange County’s trial bench, in April, and a hearing before the special masters was held in July.
Oral argument before the masters–Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Jacqueline Connor, First District Court of Appeal Justice Maria Rivera, and Glenn Superior Court Judge Donald C. Byrd–was held in September.
The judge has formally admitted that he gave preferential treatment in nine cases between 2003 and 2010. In his response to the charges, he apologized for his actions and said he did not intend to conceal or deceive, and that he did not dismiss any cases, although some fines or fees were waived.
Stanford, 64, is an Orange County native and a graduate of California State University, Fullerton, where he majored in speech, and of USC Law School.
He was admitted to the State Bar in 1973 and joined the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, where he became a member of the Career Criminal Prosecution Unit before being appointed to the Central Orange County Municipal Court by then-Gov. George Deukmejian in 1985. He became an Orange Superior Court judge through unification in 1998.
Copyright 2011, Metropolitan News Company