Karen Katz
Karen Katz ran for election for judge of the Superior Court of Alameda County in California. She lost in the primary on June 5, 2018.
Katz completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Katz earned a B.A. in American studies from UC Santa Cruz in 1982 and a J.D. from UC Hastings in 1985. She worked as deputy public defender for Alameda County from 1986 to 2016.[1]
Elections
2018
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Superior Court of Alameda County
Incumbent Tara M. Flanagan won election outright against Karen Katz in the primary for Superior Court of Alameda County on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Tara M. Flanagan (Nonpartisan) | 63.7 | 176,128 |
 | Karen Katz (Nonpartisan)  | 36.3 | 100,408 | |
| Total votes: 276,536 | |||
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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
2018
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
We are all safer when justice is administered fairly. The fair administration of justice starts at your local courthouse, with a level playing field regardless of race or economic status. In my thirty-year practice of law, I saw defendants penalized just because they were poor. For example, I saw them settle cases just to get out of jail because they couldn’t afford bail. As a judge I’ll be sensitive to this issue and to the issue of public safety. As an Alameda County public defender who served low-income clients from Livermore, to Fremont, to Albany, I know that both prosecution and defense have an important role to play. I will not favor either side. I will read the law and follow it, respect taxpayer dollars, be courteous to litigants and the public, and stand against racism, sexism, and homophobia in my courtroom. [6] |
” |
| —Karen Katz[1] | ||
Ballotpedia survey responses
- See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys
Karen Katz participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on June 1, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Karen Katz's responses follow below.[7]
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
| “ | My top priority is to ensure that justice is administered fairly. The fair administration of justice starts at you local courthouse, with a level playing field regardless of race or economic status. I would not make inequality worse by setting an unaffordable bail for people who are not a danger to public safety. I would work to establish a restorative justice court for adults in Alameda County.[8][6] | ” |
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?
| “ | I am passionate about the treatment of the developmentally disabled. I want them treated fairly and given the opportunity to live fulfilled and productive lives. I would like to see support for their families improved. I also am passionate about mental health. People with mental health issues need treatment rather than incarceration, and their families need much more support than they currently receive.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[6]
|
” |
Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Karen Katz answered the following:
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
| “ | Honesty, diligence and insight are qualities that are important for a public official[6] | ” |
| “ | I am hard working and fair.[6] | ” |
| “ | A judge must read the law and follow it, respect taxpayer dollars, and be courteous to litigants and the public.[6] | ” |
| “ | I would like to be remembered as someone who served others, and made them laugh.[6] | ” |
| “ | I remember the assassination of JFK. I was five. We were let out of school early and the older girl who walked me to and from school was nowhere to be found. I crossed the street by myself. I thought someone might jump out of the bushes, because I knew things were going very wrong.[6] | ” |
| “ | I know that both sides have an important role to play. I would not favor either side.[6] | ” |
| “ | Ruth Bader Ginsburg[6] | ” |
| “ | I believe that empathy is a very important quality for a judge. After thirty years of being a public defender, I know well the struggles of defendants, victims and witnesses impacted by the courts.[6] | ” |
| “ | I have never been rated by a Bar Association.[6] | ” |
| “ | My opponent has been disciplined by the Commission of Judicial Performance for commingling campaign funds with personal and business funds, and claimed that she did not know that was wrong. In court she is condescending and rude to defendants and attorneys. She injects herself into negotiations in ways that are not appreciated by either side.[6] | ” |
| “ | I have no prior judicial experience but I was in court almost every day for thirty years. I know what works and what does not work. I often had to satisfy the demands of clients, their families, the court staff, the prosecutor and the judge at the same time. I can handle volume and complexity.[6] | ” |
| “ | Not necessarily.[6] | ” |
| “ | My primary concern is access to justice for low and middle income Californians. Injustice affects them most frequently and severely.[6] | ” |
| “ | I look forward to the advent of bail reform in California.[6] | ” |
| “ | I have no interest in serving on a higher court.[6] | ” |
See also
- Courts in California
- Local trial court judicial elections, 2018
- Municipal elections in Alameda County, California (2018)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted on Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form on May 31, 2018
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Karen Katz's responses," June 1, 2018
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
