Elizabeth Lashley-Haynes

Elizabeth Lashley-Haynes ran for election for judge of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

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

Biography

Elizabeth Lashley-Haynes was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio. She earned a bachelor's degree from Syracuse University in 1998. She earned a law degree from Case Western Reserve University in 2002. Her career experience includes working as a public defender.^[1]

Elections

2022

General election

General election for Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Fernanda Maria Barreto defeated Elizabeth Lashley-Haynes in the general election for Superior Court of Los Angeles County on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Fernanda Maria Barreto (Nonpartisan)	53.1	1,000,532
	Elizabeth Lashley-Haynes (Nonpartisan)	46.9	884,004

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,884,536
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Elizabeth Lashley-Haynes and Fernanda Maria Barreto defeated Ryan Dibble in the primary for Superior Court of Los Angeles County on June 7, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Elizabeth Lashley-Haynes (Nonpartisan)	37.2	477,815
✔	Fernanda Maria Barreto (Nonpartisan)	36.1	464,697
	Ryan Dibble (Nonpartisan)	26.7	343,228

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,285,740
= 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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Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

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

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a proud LA County Deputy Public Defender, a wife and a mom, and a community activist. During law school, I served as a law clerk for a federal judge in the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. This background has provided me with a unique perspective into our justice system. My role as a public defender has been excellent training for the judiciary. I am uniquely qualified because I have almost two decades of courtroom experience and a vision to transform our judiciary into one that dispenses justice equally and fairly for all Angelenos. I am running because mass incarceration has failed us. Public defenders like me, who have experience representing people that can’t afford a lawyer or who have been deprived of their civil rights, are well equipped to understand the circumstances that bring Californians into the courtroom and to understand how to prevent crime.

I am running to transform the judiciary into one that listens, serves & helps restore justice to the community. I have been endorsed by well over 100 Democratic clubs, organizations, and elected officials including The Los Angeles County Democratic Party, U.S. Congressperson Judy Chu, The Japanese American Bar Association, NOW and many others.

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?

Improve public safety by addressing the root causes of crime
Lift up the voices of the people closest to the problem and to break the cycle of violence
Invest in programs and plans to re-integrate offenders back into their communities

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am heavily invested in efforts to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, challenging racial and economic injustice, and protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society. I am committed to changing the narrative about race in American as it related to criminal justice. In our present justice system wealth, not guilt, too often shapes outcomes. I have also seen that more incarceration does not reduce crime. Using prisons to deal with poverty and mental illness makes these problems worse. People leave overcrowded and violent jails and prisons more traumatized, mentally ill, and physically battered than they went in. In my current role of public defender, I see obstacles every day. After years of policies informed by tough-on-crime rhetoric that resulted in skyrocketing levels of incarceration and unintended consequences for individuals, families, and communities, the country has an urgent need to better orient the justice system. I am advocating a common sense, practical approach to criminal justice reform that is driven by re-imagining public safety and making fiscally smart decisions. Frequently, punishments other than prison or jail time place serious demands on offenders and provide them with intensive court and community supervision. Much of my approach is based on ensuring justice is blind to a person’s ethnicity, income-level, religion or skin tone.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My newest hero is Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Judge Jackson is the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, the first federal public defender to sit on the court and the first justice since Thurgood Marshall to represent criminal defendants. As a public defender like me, Judge Jackson represented defendants who did not have the means to pay for a lawyer. The Supreme Court makes major decisions surrounding the rights of defendants on issues such as the rights of the accused during trial, police interactions and the scope of punishments. While the prosecutorial perspective on these issues has always been represented on the bench, the defense perspective has been absent. Jackson will bring some key balance in this regard, as understanding the vulnerabilities and personalities of defendants can lead to more humane decisions in their favor. That is precisely what I will bring to the bench as a Superior Court judge.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

"Just Mercy" (book and film): Founded in 1989 by Bryan Stevenson, a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer and bestselling author of Just Mercy, EJI is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons. They challenge the death penalty and excessive punishment and they provide re-entry assistance to formerly incarcerated people.

EJI works with communities that have been marginalized by poverty and discouraged by unequal treatment. They are committed to changing the narrative about race in America. EJI produces groundbreaking reports, an award-winning calendar, and short films that explore our nation’s history of racial injustice. And in 2018, they opened the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice as part of our national effort to create new spaces, markers, and memorials that address the legacy of slavery, lynching, and racial segregation, which shapes many issues today.

EJI provides research and recommendations to assist advocates and policymakers in the critically important work of criminal justice reform. They publish reports, discussion guides, and other educational materials, and their staff conduct educational tours and presentations for thousands of students, teachers, faith leaders, professional associations, community groups, and international visitors every year.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Public defenders like me, who have experience representing people that can’t afford a lawyer or who have been deprived of their civil rights, are well equipped to understand the circumstances that bring Californians into the courtroom. It is that background that strengthens public trust in our legal institutions and reinforces the legitimacy that our judicial system requires. Diverse legal backgrounds matter for our judiciary. For far too long, LA County courts have been dominated by those whose principal legal experiences have involved prosecuting offenders. In many cases they have perpetuated a system that has failed to improve public safety. My background and experience in various different LA courtrooms representing the voiceless and disadvantaged provides the kind of variety, balance, and perspective to begin to make Los Angeles the leader in criminal justice reform.

We know we cannot solve today’s problems with yesterday’s approaches. I fully support making more responsible use of our scarce resources, rather than continuing to enrich private prison owners. Being progressive is not about being soft on crime; it is about using those limited resources to rehabilitate, re-invest and truly protect communities. We all want a fair, effective criminal justice system that protects people and preserves public safety while respecting human dignity and ensuring equal justice for all. I know for sure that all people in the legal system deserve to be treated with respect and be treated equally under the law. This is my personal, guiding principle, grounded in my experience and faith. And as a childhood cancer survivor, I am keenly aware that not a single day of life is promised; we must live each day to its fullest. The many privileges I have been blessed with have left me humbled and shaped my core belief that I am compelled to do the most good for the most people I can.

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

Judges preside over trials and hearings. They enforce the rules of the court and hear arguments from attorneys, receive and review evidence and listen to witness testimony. Throughout the trial, judges must make accurate rulings on whether evidence or testimonies are admissible and relevant to the trial. Throughout the entire judicial process, judges must remain impartial. They must put aside all personal feelings and beliefs and make all rulings and decisions based on the evidence and relevant laws. In addition, a judge may not preside over a case if it involves her family, friends, or past or current employees or business associates. In those cases, the judge "recuses" herself and asks that another judge handle the matter.

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

My very first job was an internship at Human Rights Watch. It was a three-month summer position

What is your favorite book? Why?

I love “Little Women.” I have read this book many times and can always find something new in its language or story that I missed. I believe it has everything a book should have; Love, family, sadness, togetherness, even a bit of suspense a few times. I remember great memories of reading Little Women with my mom and sister. I need to re-read that again. I always admired and respected Louisa May Alcott for forging the way for women writers when it was so difficult. Truly a great American author.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

After nearly 20 years in a courtroom, I have come to know that the majority of the people that come through the criminal justice system are struggling to overcome barriers in life such as addiction, mental health challenges, homelessness, poverty, or joblessness. Rather than invest in programs that seeks to redress these issues, we too often choose to simply warehouse them at a great cost to the individual and our community. The larger society benefits, and we all would be safer if the true root causes of crime are addressed instead of the symptoms. I am intimately familiar with effective alternatives to incarceration and programs to re-integrate people back into their communities that truly improve public safety. I want to help ensure that all voices are heard and reform movement changemakers have the tools and resources needed to succeed. Having judges with diverse qualifications and experiences like me will introduce new perspectives changing the perception of the court and giving people an assurance that their voices are heard in the system. If I were elected, I know that as a judge I would treat everyone equally, with dignity and compassion.

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

In my opinion the most important qualities a judge must have are integrity and character, judgment and intellectual capacity, empathy, fairness, experience, judicial temperament (including whether the candidate would be courteous and considerate of counsel, parties, witnesses and jurors, and whether the candidate is even-tempered), and professional ability and knowledge of the law. Empathy is key because a judge must be able to put himself/herself in the place of the defendant, the victim(s), the attorneys, and the jury.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

We are at an inflection point in the evolution of criminal justice in our country. We know we cannot solve today’s problems with yesterday’s approaches. We need an effective system that protects people and preserves public safety while respecting human dignity and ensuring equal justice for all under the law. I want to help create a future for everyone that is more just, inclusive, and full of opportunity. I am running because mass incarceration has failed us. I fervently believe there is much work to be done within our judicial system, and that work requires judges who are introspective and audacious leaders, willing to defend and uphold our principles of equality and justice for all.

Public defenders like me, who have experience representing people that can’t afford a lawyer or who have been deprived of their civil rights, are well equipped to understand the circumstances that bring Californians into the courtroom. It is that background that strengthens public trust in our legal institutions and reinforces the legitimacy that our judicial system requires. Diverse legal backgrounds matter for our judiciary. For far too long, LA County courts have been dominated by those whose principal legal experiences have involved prosecuting offenders. My background and experience in various different LA courtrooms representing the voiceless and disadvantaged provides the kind of variety, balance, and perspective to begin to make Los Angeles the leader in criminal justice reform.

What do you consider the greatest opportunity for the legal system in your state?

On November 3, 2020, the voters of Los Angeles County approved Measure J which dedicated no less than ten percent of the County’s locally generated unrestricted funding to address the disproportionate impact of racial injustice through community investments such as youth development, job training, small business development, supportive housing services and alternatives to incarceration. On November 10, 2020, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted the Measure J Revenue Allocation Process motion and directed the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to establish a 17-member Measure J Reimagine LA Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee). Funding and implementing Measure J can go a long way to addressing the root causes of crime and improve public safety.

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 19, 2022

California courts

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

[bio-1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 19, 2022

[1]

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Elizabeth Lashley-Haynes

Contents

Biography

Elections

2022

General election

General election for Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

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