Monday, April 6, 2026
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Judge James Chalfant to Exit L.A. Superior Court
By a MetNews Staff Writer
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JAMES C. CHALFANT Los Angeles Superior Court judge |
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant’s last day on the bench will be May 1 and the jurist will officially retire on May 31, after using earned vacation days.
His judicial career spans 30 years. He was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court by then-Gov. Pete Wilson on April 9, 1996, and elevated by Wilson to the Superior Court on Sept. 3, 1998.
He has been assigned to a writs and receivers court since 2008.
Among his decisions was blocking implementation of several controversial special directives by then-Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón in 2021. The Court of Appeal to a large extent upheld his action.
Chalfant’s law degree was received from the University of California, Berkeley’s Boalt Hall in 1979.
He worked for the law firms of Sidley & Austin and Irell and Manella before becoming an assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, then joined the firm of Hochman, Salkin, and DeRoy, moving over to McCambridge, Deixler, Marmaro, and Goldberg, and then forming his own law office.
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