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David S. Cunningham III (California)
David S. Cunningham III is a judge of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California. He assumed office in 2009. His current term ends on January 8, 2029.
Cunningham won re-election for judge of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California outright in the primary on June 7, 2022, after the primary and general election were canceled.
Cunningham was appointed by Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in January 2009 to succeed Xenophon F. Lang.[1][2]
Education
Cunningham received his B.A. in economics from the University of Southern California and his J.D. from New York University Law School.[3]
Career
- 2009-Present: Judge, Superior Court of Los Angeles County
- 2007-2009: Principal, Meyers, Nave, Riback, Silver & Wilson
- 2005-2007: Partner, Kelly, Lytton and Vann
- 2005: Of counsel, Jackson & Lewis
- 1989-2005: Attorney in private practice
- 1984-1989: Associate, Finley, Kumble, Heine, Underberg, Manley & Casey
- 1983-1984: Judicial clerk, U.S. District Judge Terry Hatter, Central District of California[2][3]
Awards and associations
- Member, Board of Directors, Midnight Mission
- Member, Equity Oversight Panel, Los Angeles Sheriff's Department
- Officer, Board of Directors, Alliance College-Ready Public Schools
- 2001-2005: Former member and Former President, Police Commission, Los Angeles Police Department
- Former member, LAUSD Governance Commission
- Former member, Los Angeles Business Council
- Former member, Watts Health Foundation Community Trust[3]
Elections
2022
See also: Municipal elections in Los Angeles County, California (2022)
Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. David S. Cunningham III (Nonpartisan) won the election without appearing on the ballot.
2016
California held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. There was a primary on June 7, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was March 31, 2016. A total of 351 seats were up for election. Incumbent David S. Cunningham, III ran unopposed in the election for Office 143 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court.[4]
| Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge, Office #143, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
 David S. Cunningham, III Incumbent | ||
Selection method
- See also: Nonpartisan election
The 1,535 judges of the California Superior Courts compete in nonpartisan races in even-numbered years. If a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the June primary election, he or she is declared the winner; if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff between the top two candidates is held during the November general election.[5][6][7][8]
If an incumbent judge is running unopposed in an election, his or her name does not appear on the ballot. The judge is automatically re-elected following the general election.[5]
The chief judge of any given superior court is selected by peer vote of the court's members. He or she serves in that capacity for one or two years, depending on the county.[5]
Qualifications
Candidates are required to have 10 years of experience as a law practitioner or as a judge of a court of record.[5]
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
David S. Cunningham III did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Noteworthy events
Cunningham files excessive force complaint against UCLA police
An incident involving Cunningham and campus police for the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), prompted the judge to file an excessive force complaint. Cunningham was reportedly pulled over by UCLA officers on the morning of November 23, 2013, after he left L.A. Fitness in nearby Westwood, Calif. Cunningham acknowledged he was not wearing his seat belt. He said he had just paid for parking and was attempting to put on his seat belt when officers pulled him over. During the stop, Cunningham reportedly handed officers his wallet when asked for his license. He was then asked for proof of insurance and registration. According to the complaint, Cunningham reached over to his glove compartment, when Officer Kevin Dodd "yelled at me not to move." Cunningham indicated he became irritated, stating he needed to look for the documents and opened his glove compartment. The officer asked the judge if he was carrying drugs when a bottle of prescription medication, later shown to be prescribed to the judge for high blood pressure, rolled out of the glove compartment.[9]
According to the complaint, Cunningham could not locate his registration in the glove compartment, so he exited his vehicle to look for the documents in his trunk. As Cunningham got out, Dodd allegedly shoved him against the car and said he was being held for resisting arrest. Cunningham was subsequently handcuffed and locked in the back of a patrol car.[9]
Cunningham's lawyer, Carl Douglas, told the Los Angeles Times, Cunningham lost his cool and began yelling about police brutality. As a crowd gathered, Cunningham insisted officers call for a watch commander. Cunningham was released after an UCLA police sergeant arrived.[9] Cunningham is a former member of the Los Angeles Police Department's Police Commission. The five-member commission is made up of civilians who act as a board of directors for the department, setting policy and overseeing department operations. The chief of police also reports to the board.[10]
Judge Cunningham's colleagues expressed surprise at the incident. Former Los Angeles Police Commission Vice President Alan Skobin told the Los Angeles Times,
| “ | He is a very even-keeled guy. I have seen him under pressure and he is a guy who keeps his calm and wits about him.[9][11] | ” |
Since 2008, the Los Angeles Police Department has compiled statistics regarding use of force complaints and sets forth the department's policies regarding the use of force in an annual report.[12] While serving as an L.A. police commissioner, Cunningham, along with the other commissioners, was responsible for reviewing use of force complaints.[9] The commission is ultimately responsible for determining how use of force complaints are resolved, based upon recommendations made by the chief of police. Cunningham did not make any allegations of racism, in his complaint, against the officers involved.[9]
Cunningham filed a $10 million claim of police brutality against UCLA police.[13] That department agreed to settle the matter for $500,000.[14]
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ California Courts, "Trial Courts Roster," accessed April 9, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Metropolitan News-Enterprise, "Schwarzenegger Appoints Seven New Judges to Superior Court," January 23, 2009
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, "Board of Directors-Officer, David S. Cunningham III," accessed November 28, 2013
- ↑ Los Angeles County, CA, "Candidate Filing Report," accessed April 5, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: California," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Safeguarding California's judicial election process," August 21, 2011
- ↑ California Elections Code, "Section 8203," accessed May 21, 2014
- ↑ California Elections Code, "Section 8140-8150," accessed May 21, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Los Angeles Times, "Black judge handcuffed by UCLA cops 'even-keeled,' colleagues say," November 26, 2013
- ↑ Los Angeles Police Department, "Police Commission, Function and Role of the Board of Police Commissioners," accessed November 29, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Los Angeles Police Department, "2009 Use of Force Annual Report," accessed November 29, 2013
- ↑ L.A. Focus, "Video Footage Sheds New Light on Judge's Controversial Arrest," March 14, 2014
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "UCLA to pay $500,000 settlement in judge's police brutality claim," July 11, 2014
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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
