J. Christopher Smith

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J. Christopher Smith

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Superior Court of Los Angeles County
Tenure

2017 - Present

Term ends

2031

Years in position

8

Elections and appointments
Last elected

March 5, 2024

Appointed

May 22, 2017

Education

Bachelor's

University of California, Los Angeles

Law

Mercer University School of Law

Personal
Profession
Commissioner, Superior Court of Los Angeles County

J. Christopher Smith is a judge of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California. He assumed office in 2017. His current term ends on January 6, 2031.

Smith won re-election for judge of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California outright in the primary on March 5, 2024, after the primary and general election were canceled.

Biography

Smith received a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and a J.D. from Mercer University School of Law. Below is a summary of his professional experience:[1]

  • 2015-2017: Commissioner, Superior Court of Los Angeles County
  • 2008-2015: Sole practitioner
  • 2005-2008: Lead staff attorney, University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law Institute for Administrative Justice’s California Parole Advocacy Program
  • 1997-2004: Deputy public defender, Los Angeles County
  • 1996-1997: Associate, Law Offices of DeBose and DeBose

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Los Angeles County, California (2024)

Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. J. Christopher Smith (Nonpartisan) won the election without appearing on the ballot.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Smith in this election.

2018

See also: Municipal elections in Los Angeles County, California (2018)

Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. J. Christopher Smith (Nonpartisan) won the election without appearing on the ballot.

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.[2][3][4][5]

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.[2]

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.[2]

Qualifications
Candidates are required to have 10 years of experience as a law practitioner or as a judge of a court of record.[2]

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

J. Christopher Smith did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

See also


External links

Footnotes