Wednesday, July 1, 2026
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Former Presiding Judge Czuleger to Retire
By a MetNews Staff Writer
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Los Angeles Superior Court Judge J. Stephen Czuleger who, as presiding judge in 2007 and 2008, locked horns with California’s then-chief justice over what he saw as intrusions onto the province of the trial courts, will retire July 31 after 38 years on the bench.
Czuleger is known for his affability, sense of humor, and scholarship, as well as being a scrapper with restraint and tact.
While an antagonist of Ronald M. George, he never engaged in ad hominem attacks on the chief justice, directing his remarks to programs and policies he portrayed as unwise. Czuleger was solidly backed by members of his court and by many other jurists throughout the state.
He told the MetNews on Monday:
“In dealing with the chief justice it was important to recognize his position and his desires and then attempt to meet his concerns without abandoning the needs of the L.A. Superior Court. I think I was successful at managing that but had to weather the attacks from his allies around the state. However that was easy. I didn’t work for any of them. I worked for the judges of LASC.”
An email from Czuleger to colleagues announcing his forthcoming retirement, which went out Monday night, appears on Page 4 of today’s issue.
Fictional Fatal Blow
While Czuleger displayed gentleness toward George, his wife did not. Mystery writer Rebecca Forster, in one of her books, “Hostile Witness,” negatively depicts a fictional chief justice of California, seemingly patterned after George, killing him off.
Czuleger, throughout his tenure as presiding judge, and beyond, was at odds with George over the centralization of the courts, with prerogatives of trial courts diminishing. His efforts continued even after George left office on Jan. 2, 2011, having opted not to seek election to a 12-year term.
In 2011, after his service as presiding judge ended, Czuleger and another former leader of the court, Robert Dukes, testified in favor of AB 1208, the “Trial Court Rights Act,” authored by then-Assembly Majority Leader Charles Calderon, D-Montebello. The bill, a slap at George and what he had set up, would have shifted control of court funds from the Judicial Council to the superior courts. Although the bill failed, it added impetus to a movement for changes in the court system. Those changes included abandonment in 2011 of the California Case Management System (“CCMS”), which was intended to link the computer systems of the courts in all 58 counties but could not be made to work.
George backed the project but, after leaving office, sought, in a book he wrote, to place the blame for the fiasco on William C. Vickrey (now deceased) who was executive director of the Administrative Office of the Courts (“AOC”).
The plug was pulled on CCMS after widespread concerns were expressed by judges and legislators over huge sums being dumped into the project while courtrooms were being shuttered owing to lack of funds. On Feb. 8, 2011, the Bureau of State Audits reported:
“As of June 2010 the AOC and some superior courts had spent nearly $407 million on the statewide case management project since its inception. The total cost for the project, including money already spent, will approach $1.9 billion.”
Czuleger said at the time:
“They did not have business plan or a budget and everything in this audit was exactly what I was saying years ago.”
Courthouse News, an online service, noted on March 9, 2011, that Czuleger “was an early voice on the Judicial Council urging caution in the vast expenditures” on the project, reciting that “his urging was met with a campaign of vilification,” particularly from Vickrey. A July 6, 2011, Courthouse News report identified Czuleger as “a former member of the Judicial Council who clashed with the bureaucrats.”
On March 27, 2012, the Judicial Council voted unanimously to dump the project.
Assails AOC
On July 23, 2012, in written comments to Judicial Council in response to a public request for input, Czuleger termed the AOC “an existential threat to this state’s judiciary,” saying that he has seen it “grow, change for the worse, and, in the end diminish not enhance the finest courts in the country in far too many ways.”
He charged that “the unbridled, poorly scripted and unrestrained actions and growth of the AOC have acted as a drain on the finances and, more importantly, credibility of the entire Judicial Branch of this state,” and said that the SEC report reflects what he and others have been saying “for far too long.”
On June 26, 2014, then-Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye announced that the AOC was being disbanded, with its functions absorbed by the Judicial Council.
Murphy Comments
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mary Ann Murphy yesterday said of Czuleger:
“He was fearless in defending our court during challenging times, teaching us the importance of our court’s relationship with the executive and legislative branches in our own right, as the largest trial court in the United States.”
She also commented: “Judge J. Stephen Czuleger’s retirement after 38 years on the court is a great loss to all of us who had the privilege of serving with him. A man of great integrity, he treated us fairly, had our backs, and genuinely cared about us. He has been a friend to us all.
“Steve’s sense of humor is one of his great gifts, and he shared it generously.”
“Highly intelligent, Judge Czuleger understood the power of local and global outreach. As a Fulbright scholar, he taught law students in Albania. He mentored judges. He gave of himself.”
In 2014, Czuleger taught in Albania at the Tirana University School of Law as a participant in the Fulbright Specialist Grant Program and returned to Albania twice for stints explaining various facets of law. Murphy added:
“Judge Czuleger’s service to the court recalls the words of Saint Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7: ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.’ He has fully earned that tribute.”
Edmon’s View
Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Lee Edmon of this district’s Div. Three, a former Los Angeles Superior Court presiding judge, observed:
“It’s hard to imagine the L.A. Superior Court bench without Judge Steve Czuleger. He has contributed so much to the court—both as a fine trial judge in so many different assignments, but more importantly in his leadership over the years. He was a marvelous presiding judge.
“ He has always been a fierce advocate for the court and cares not only for the court as an institution but for each and every one of its judges. I served as a supervising judge on the court while he was in leadership and was honored to work with him.
“One of my fondest memories during that time was his interest in providing increased opportunities for women to serve in court management, and he was a great mentor and friend to me. There is no question he helped pave the way for my opportunity to serve as presiding judge.”
Praise From Kuhl
Another former presiding justice, Carolyn Kuhl, offered these thoughts:
“Every judge of our court down to the newest judge owes Steve Czuleger a debt of gratitude for what he accomplished during his time as presiding judge. He understood the importance of the relationship between the Superior Court as an institution and the Legislature, and he laid the foundation for sustaining that relationship far beyond his term as presiding judge.
“He recognized the importance of each judge as an independent constitutional officer and worked to provide all colleagues with the tools needed to do their best in their judicial assignments. He was an outstanding leader for our court.”
Kwan’s Tribute
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ruth Ann Kwan had this to say:
“Steve is a judges’s judge—a great jurist and a wonderful APJ and PJ. He is well respected and liked by lawyers.
“As PJ 19 years ago, he cared about diversifying the bench and gave me the opportunity to move from a felony criminal assignment to a coveted civil IC court at a time when there were not many women or people of color assigned to civil.
“I am forever grateful to him for believing in me.”
‘Compassion, Common Sense’
Mediator/arbitrator Jacqueline A. Connor, a retired judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court, opined:
“Steve Czuleger was a force to be reckoned with. Even without considering the years of public recognition and achievements, his real power lay in his ability to form relationships and maintain his compassion and common sense while fully respecting the law. He was and is a people person, with the special ability to get to the core of problems in a human sense and to solve them directly and cleanly.
“His concern for the right thing to do, the effective thing to do, the approach to problem solving that did not kick the can down the road, and his interest in not stopping till he got it right, is what makes and made Steve so special. His legacy will remain long after his presence.”
Retired Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Anthony Mohr, who is currently serving on assignment, said:
“I’ve thought long and hard about how to praise Judge Czuleger’s spectacular career. Others will describe it better than I.
“Everything I can say about him can be gathered into two words: He served.
“And may he continue to do so— and have fun—in the next chapter. Oh, and here are two more words: Thank you.”
Duffy-Lewis
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maureen Duffy-Lewis remarked: “To say Steve was a great judge, a great PJ and a great friend is an understatement.
“His family has been his source of joy and we all knew that his wife was equally talented as a published author.
“Steve we will miss you like crazy. Thank you for your service and friendship.”
Steve Cooley was in his third term as district attorney when Czuleger was presiding judge. He reflected:
“Judge Czuleger was a pleasure to work with when he served as LASC’s PJ. He was smart and effective. He also brought a quick wit to whatever he did.”
Michael D. Antonovich, who was a county supervisor then, said that “Judge Steve Czuleger’s integrity and common sense will be missed.”
Litigator’s Perspective
Personal injury attorney R. Rex Parris, who is mayor of Lancaster, said:
“Judge Czuleger is one of the best trial judges I have ever had the privilege of appearing before. He was always prepared and knowledgeable. And he was always willing to listen and would even change his mind on occasion. He never left his sense of humor at home. But he did not suffer fools gladly. He expected you to be on time and more prepared than he was. As long as you were professional and competent, this was a great courtroom to be in. If you weren’t…
“We will miss him on the bench and wish him success in his newest endeavor.”
As to what that endeavor will be, Czuleger related:
“I am taking the month of August to decide what to do next. After careful consideration, I will do what Rebecca tells me to do.”
Czuleger received his law degree from Loyola in 1976. For two years prior to his graduation, he served as law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge David W. Williams of the Central District of California (now deceased).
He was as assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles from 1977- 79 and again in 1984-88, was an associate in the Century City firm of Bird Manella Boxer Wolpert & Matz from 1979-81, and was a special attorney for the U.S. Justice Department’s Organized Crime Strike Force in San Francisco from 1982-84.
Gov. George Deukmejian appointed him to the Los Angeles Municipal Court judge by Deukmejian in 1988 and elevated him to the Superior Court two years later.
He received the Metropolitan News-Enterprise’s Person of the Year Award in 2006 and the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles’s judge of the Year Award in 2007.
★★★★★
Judge Czuleger Sends Colleagues Farewell Message
(Los Angeles Superior Court Judge J. Stephen Czulger is trasmittng the following email to members of the court he has headed as presiding judge)
Dear Colleagues –
After over 38 years on the bench, I will be retiring July 31, 2026. It has been my honor and pleasure to serve on our court for these many years. For those that I have known and worked closely with over the years, I will miss your hard work, diligence and friendship. For those that I have not gotten to know, I ask you to commit yourself to service to what is truly the best trial court in the country. Many worked very hard to make it so and you need to be proud of the court’s accomplishments.
During my time first on the LA Municipal Court and after elevation to the LA Superior Court, I have served in most assignments and in multiple courtrooms and courthouses throughout the county. I have been a member of Judicial Council and multiple times on the Board of CJA, including serving as its vice president. I have served multiple times on the Executive Committee of both courts. I have served in a supervisory role in Traffic, Criminal and Civil as well as a turn on the Court of Appeal and even seconded to the Orange County Superior Court for the better part of a year. Perhaps my most rewarding time, however, was that spent as your Assistant Presiding and Presiding Judge. During those years as your PJ we accomplished many important tasks including:
Obtaining legislation to protect our local benefits which had been lost in litigation and a subsequent adverse ruling of the court of appeal. Nearly the entirety of my second years as PJ was spent in obtaining this successful result in Sacramento and credit goes to our many allies we were able to gather at the time. That legislation was a vital success for me and for our court.
Protecting our court from state-wide actions which sought to bring our court under direct supervision of state-wide entities including efforts by others to select our PJ and executive officer.
Providing an increased opportunity for women on our court to serve in court management which benefited our court greatly and directly led to our court electing its first woman PJ.
Successfully handling a number of troubling and potentially profound problems that never went public and which might have harmed the reputation of the court and the individuals involved.
Establishing at the time a strong direct working relationship with the California Legislature and Governor’s Office so that the voice of the LA Superior court was always heard and appreciated apart from collateral efforts by others.
Improving and growing the court’s relationship with the employee unions and LA County which aided us in our needs locally and with the Legislature.
Addressing the problem of establishing a state-wide computer system which ultimately drained over $500 million in court resources (including our own) before it failed due to poor planning and leadership at the state level. That ill-conceived program weighed heavily on the branch as a whole, and our court in particular, until scrapped.
Having listed some of our successes, if you will indulge me, I will take a moment to offer each of you some advice from what I have learned in over my three decades plus on the court:
Volunteer for cases and assignments. Two things will happen. First you will be presented with many good opportunities that may surprise you. While some cases might be difficult and problematic, many will turn out to be interesting and challenging. Every case and assignment is an opportunity to learn and make your time on the court more rewarding. Second, you will gain a reputation as a reliable and helpful judge with your colleagues and supervising judges.
Speaking of supervising judges, consider court management during your time on the bench. The court always needs good leaders. But if you become a supervising or even presiding judge always remember that our judges are not your employees. They are your colleagues. They are state constitutional officers who are entitled to respect, even when they might be difficult at times. So treat every judge with the respect which they are due. Return their phone calls. Answer their emails. Offer to meet with them whenever they request it and, in fact, make yourself available to just chat with them informally. You are never just “too busy” for them.
There are never any new crises that haven’t been dealt with before. During my time on the court there have been at least 6 budget crises and 5 inventory/calendar “crises”. We successfully made it through every one and there will be more in the future. They will be successfully managed when we are thoughtful. Just rely on the processes we have in place and trust the hard work of our bench officers. You do not need to reinvent the wheel. We already have a perfectly good wheel. Tweek it, don’t change it. The judges of the LA Superior Court are up to the task. Just ask them.
Judges must drive the technology. The technology must never drive the judges. Technology is a two edge sword. It can provide a tool to assist in our work. However there have been those that want to change what we do to meet the needs of the technology. This is faulty thinking and demeaning to the judges and the importance of our work.
Local benefits are always at risk. The legislation we obtained kept them for us for now but dangers to them always remain. Be mindful of those dangers and be prepared to address the challenges before they arise. Remember there are always those that have other ideas about our court getting those important benefits. Be vigilant.
Establish and expand our court’s work with the Legislature. During my time in leadership we had a robust relationship with the Legislature. That paid great dividends. It was later allowed to petter out but I understand we have reworked it and we are actively involved in the capitol again. That is good but it requires continual work. Support court leadership in those efforts.
I apologize for going on for so long. I suppose after 38 years I still must still have a lot to offer. Be that as it may, I will move along to the next challenge with the confidence that this court will thrive and succeed. Do your best to continue to make sure that this is not only the biggest trial court in the country; it is the best trial court in the country. I remain proud of all that we have accomplished.
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