Thursday, November 7, 1996

Page 1

Chavez Chosen as APJ of Superior Court
Expected to Serve as Presiding Judge in 1999 and 2000

By a MetNews Staff Writer

Los Angeles Superior Court Presiding Judge Victor Chavez handily won election yesterday as the court's 1997 assistant presiding judge, proving wrong widespread predictions that he would be in a run-off with Judge Judith Ashmann, the first woman to seek the post.

If tradition holds, he will serve two one-year terms in the post, followed by two one-year terms as presiding judge.

The 66-year-old jurist defeated both Ashmann and Judge Richard Montes. While the court would not release the vote tally, it was learned that Chavez had more than 20 votes more than needed, and that Ashmann came in second.

The San Fernando Valley-based Ashmann was thought by observers to suffer an identity handicap by not being assigned to the Civic Center where the greatest number of Superior Court judges are based.

Ballots were distributed last month to the court's 235 judges--there were three vacancies at the time, with Judge Robert LaFont's retirement Tuesday creating a fourth--and counted yesterday by a committee of three judges, in accordance with local rules.

Chavez said he had no particular plans in anticipation of assuming his new role, but that he "had a lot of learning to do."

The assistant presiding judge-designate was appointed to the court by then-Gov. George Deukmejian in 1990 after nearly 30 years as a trial lawyer, the last 21 as a partner in the firm of Pomerantz & Chavez.

Following his 1953 graduation from Loyola University--now Loyola Marymount University--Chavez served in the Air Force, then went on to what is now Loyola Law School. He was president of the Student Bar Association and graduated in 1959.

He is a past president of the Mexican-American Bar Assn. and of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

Chavez currently serves on six court committees, including the Executive Committee. He chairs the Special Events and Legislation committees, as well as serving on the Basic Jury Instructions, Grand and Jury Trial, and Security committees.

His daughter is Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Victoria Chavez. She worked in her father's firm for the first nine years of her legal career, then was appointed by Deukmejian to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1988.

Victoria Chavez swore her father in when he was appointed to the court. He reciprocated when she was elevated to the Superior Court in 1993.

Parkin commented on Chavez' selection:

"I'm delighted. Vic is a very capable individual, competent, and hard-working. I think he'll do a superb job and I look forward to working with him."

Parkin also noted that Chavez' selection continues somewhat of a tradition of electing graduates of Los Angeles' Catholic high schools to the top posts on the court.

Chavez and 1993-94 Presiding Justice Robert Mallano, he pointed out, went to Mt. Carmel High School, while outgoing Presiding Judge Gary Klausner went to Loyola and Parkin himself to St. Anthony's.

The tradition still would have been maintained if Montes had won, he added, because Montes went to Cathedral High.

Coincidentally, every presiding judge of the Superior Court since Jack Goertzen, who assumed his administrative post in 1987, has been of the Catholic faith.