The Genesis of CAPAJA-PAC

Written By Judge Teresa Magno

I was still a deputy district attorney when I heard of instances of judges with “foreign” sounding names being viewed as vulnerable at the ballot box.  In one instance, a highly regarded Los Angeles Superior Court judge, who had a Latvian last name, was successfully defeated by a bagel store owner who had barely practiced law.  In the 1990s, Municipal Court Judge Tam Nomoto lost her initial bid to be elected to the Superior Court when she ran as Tam Nomoto.”  She ran a second time using her married name, Barbara Schumann, and she won.  In 2012, Judge Deborah Chuang was the only Orange County Superior Court judge who was challenged. In the 2014 election cycle, Judge Joanne Motoike, within months of being appointed, found herself being challenged at the ballot box.  Neither judge had any issues relating to job performance. Fortunately, both judges were reelected.

When I became a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, a colleague, Judge Gustavo Sztraicher, suddenly found himself in a race to save his job when a sole practitioner filed an intent to run declaration for his seat.  I witnessed the bewilderment and pain such a costly and xenophobia-based challenge places on judges who have served with distinction.  Since several of these challenges were directed at Asian American judges, it just made sense to me for CAPAJA to take the lead in addressing the issue.  I thought that given the rising cost of running a county-wide election campaign, one of the best ways for CAPAJA to assist is to provide a source of funding for Asian Pacific American judges seeking to retain their positions. Fortunately, the rest of the CAPAJA board agreed.  In 2017, with the board’s recommendation, the membership approved the formation of a political action committee that will be charged with not only providing support but also raising campaign contributions to Asian and Pacific Islander judges, who have proven records of judicial excellence and integrity, in defeating election challenges.