Benjamin Stauffer

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Benjamin Stauffer

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

June 7, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, 2001

Law

Whittier Law School, 2007

Personal

Birthplace

Long Beach, Calif.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Personal Facebook

Benjamin Stauffer ran for election for judge of the Superior Court of Orange County in California. He lost in the primary on June 7, 2022.

Stauffer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Benjamin Stauffer was born in Long Beach, California. He earned a bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 2001 and a law degree from Whittier Law School in 2007. His career experience includes working as an attorney. He also worked for two years as a deputy district attorney and for 31 years for the Garden Grove Police Department.

Stauffer has been affiliated with the following organizations:

• Calvary Chapel Chino Hills
• Aero Association of California Institute of Technology
• Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
• Lawyer Pilots Bar Association

Elections

2022

See also: Municipal elections in Orange County, California (2022)

General election

General election for Superior Court of Orange County

Michele Bell defeated Peggy Huang in the general election for Superior Court of Orange County on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michele Bell (Nonpartisan)	54.9	418,391
		Peggy Huang (Nonpartisan)	45.1	343,306

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 761,697
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Superior Court of Orange County

Michele Bell and Peggy Huang defeated Alma Hernandez, Benjamin Stauffer, and Andrea Mader in the primary for Superior Court of Orange County on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michele Bell (Nonpartisan)	36.9	196,928
✔		Peggy Huang (Nonpartisan)	34.1	181,891
		Alma Hernandez (Nonpartisan)	13.0	69,662
		Benjamin Stauffer (Nonpartisan)	10.7	56,918
		Andrea Mader (Nonpartisan)	5.4	28,595

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 533,994
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Benjamin Stauffer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Stauffer's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Endorsed by the Association of OC Deputy District Attorneys and Garden Grove Police Chief Tom DaRe.

As a Deputy District Attorney, Garden Grove Police Officer, and in private practice conducting police misconduct investigations as an unbiased third party, Benjamin Stauffer has devoted his life to law enforcement in Orange County.

Ben served 31 years with the Garden Grove Police Department, starting as a dispatcher in 1985 and retiring as a Captain in 2016. While still a full-time officer, Ben attended law school, clerked for the District Attorney’s Office and Judge William Evans in the criminal courts, and became an attorney in 2008. He served two years as a Deputy District Attorney before returning to private practice in 2021.

Ben believes in always doing the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons. As a judge, Ben Stauffer will ensure equal access to the courts and a fair, unbiased and even-handed administration of justice according to the applicable laws for the people of Orange County.

Ben has spent his entire career in law enforcement and is focused on bringing law and order back to the courtroom.

Benjamin Stauffer

Stauffer4judge.com

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• The people of Orange County deserve a judiciary that makes rulings based upon the facts and applying the written laws and prior case law to those facts. Their decisions must be free of personal biases or political beliefs. I have made an entire career of making just these types of decisions.
• I am a lifetime law enforcement participant. I have worked on the prosecution and defense of criminal cases. I have worked on defending and disciplining police officers and their actions. I have developed a keen eye for the truth and an ability to render decisions regardless of my personal beliefs or leanings on a topic. This is what you should demand of your next judge.
• Some decisions from the courts can make it seem as though the courts have set aside their mandate to consider the likelihood of the accused to appear if released and, above all else, to put the safety of the public first when making bail decisions. I plan to bring law and order back to the courtroom and to ensure these factors are carefully considered in each and every matter before appropriate bail is set.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The Judicial Canons of Ethics limit what I can comment on about public policy concerns as these issues may later come before me on the bench. I will say that there is an ever changing and large volume of laws and sometimes even more and more frequently changing set of case law governing these issues. As a judge, I will carefully, faithfully and without bias apply the laws and case law to any set of facts in controversy during my tenure on the bench.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The law enforcement code of ethics, which I have lived by my entire life, lays out core beliefs good for anyone seeking judicial office. I have modified them here and think they form a perfect framework by which a judge should live.

As a (judge), my fundamental duty is to serve the community; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the constitutional rights of all to liberty, equality, and justice.
I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all and will behave in a manner that does not bring discredit to me or to my (position). I will maintain courageous calm in the face of…scorn or ridicule; develop self-restraint; and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. Honest in thought and deed both in my personal and official life, I will be exemplary in obeying the law and the (Canons of Judicial Ethics). Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided to me in my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless revelation is necessary in the performance of my duty.
I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices, political beliefs, aspirations, animosities or friendships to influence my decisions…I will enforce the law courteously and appropriately without fear or favor, malice or ill will…and never accepting gratuities.
I recognize…my office as a symbol of public faith, and I accept it as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the ethics of (judicial) service. I will never engage in acts of corruption or bribery, nor will I condone such acts by other(s)…
…I alone am responsible for my own standard of professional performance and will take every reasonable opportunity to enhance and improve my level of knowledge and competence.

I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals, dedicating myself before God to my chosen profession…(Judge).

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy of a lifetime of public service in law enforcement capped off with judicial rulings and conduct that set a high standard for any successor to my seat. I would work hard to issue informed and correct decisions in all matters that come before me and to continuously improve and update my knowledge of the law. I would also ensure equal access to justice for all that enter my courtroom and treat everyone with dignity and respect.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was at a Chuck E. Cheeses in Garden Grove on Harbor Boulevard in 1981. I rode my bicycle 8 miles each way to commute there from the west end of Westminster. I was 15 at the time. I was eventually able to obtain a moped to help with the commute and then a beat up car. About that time, I moved to Huntington Beach and transferred to the Chuck E. Cheeses on Edwards. I stayed with that organization for over a year before leaving for another job. From then on I have been gainfully employed at least by one employer at all times in my life. I am a very hard worker and dedicated employee and now counsel for my clients. I hope to get an opportunity to bring my work ethic to the bench.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Skunkworks by Ben Rich and Leo Janos. I am a military and airplane buff and this book chronicles the development of stealth technologies by Lockheed under the leadership of Kelly Johnson and Ben Rich that led to the stealth fighters and bombers we all know today. The book gives many details previously unknown to the general public and really reassures the American citizen that the United States can still develop a necessary new technology in secret when necessary.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

I don't believe the members of the general public understand the latitude given to judges to strike strikes of previous convictions or to reduce certain felonies to misdemeanors, most often for purposes of a plea bargain. While there are cases where this is appropriate considering the contrition of the defendant or other potential mitigating factors, it is used quite frequently and might surprise the public to know how frequently that is and how some victims are affected as a result.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

The Canons of Judicial Ethics limit what statements I can make on this topic. Each case that may come before me will have to be judged upon its merits and according to the laws that may be in effect at the time that case is presented. That said, empathy for one party or the other in a matter before the court cannot factor into the jury's or the judge's decision on facts and the law that applies to those facts. Under the 14th Amendment's requirement of equal protection under the law for all parties, not just those the court empathizes with, a judge is required to set aside their empathy when making legal rulings during a trial or hearing on a matter of law. If this weren't required, it could set up a slippery slope should a judge develop empathy for a particular group of litigants over any other group on a regular basis. This could lead to the judge issuing decisions based upon their empathy for one party rather than the facts and the state of the law that applies to those facts. All parties are entitled to have their case heard and ruled upon by a fair, impartial and unbiased magistrate. If you introduce empathy as a factor in those decisions, that guarantee under the 14th Amendment could be taking a back seat to the judge's empathy. The findings of fact and applying the laws to the facts are no time for judicial empathy. Empathy toward the victim could cause a denial of the 14th Amendment protections for the defendant, or vice versa. It is the judge's duty under the 14th Amendment to make sure neither the jury nor the judge themselves let this affect their rulings on findings of fact, interpretations of the law or in applying the law to the proven facts.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a judge to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe candidates for judge should have no prior experience in partisan politics. The realm in which such candidates operate is different from that of a judge. The entire job of the partisan politician seems to have evolved or devolved into often being an advocate for one point of view regardless of any counter arguments. It is often not open-minded with an exchange of ideas from both sides. It is the exact opposite of performing the duties of a judge. Experience operating in this entrenched beliefs mantra requires the candidate to now switch gears to be an impartial arbiter of the proceedings before them and not insert the general public's belief or, worse, their own beliefs into their decisions made on the bench. It runs the risk of the candidate's past strongly held beliefs affecting their future rulings. They are to rule on controversies according to the law and the law only and to set aside their fear of reproach or attempts to curry favor. Experience in partisan politics does not prepare a judge for this assignment and I would argue sets them up for failure in remaining unbiased and above reproach.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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2022 Elections

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Candidate

Superior Court of Orange County

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Footnotes

California courts

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Federal courts:

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California

State courts:

California Supreme Court • California Courts of Appeal • California Superior Courts

State resources:

Courts in California • California judicial elections • Judicial selection in California