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J. Christopher Smith
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2017 - Present
2031
8
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
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
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Imperial Valley News, "Governor Brown Appoints Nine to Los Angeles County Superior Court," May 22, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 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
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
