Ryan Dibble

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Ryan Dibble

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

June 7, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

University of Southern California, 2002

Law

University of Southern California, 2005

Personal

Birthplace

Torrance, Calif.

Profession

Deputy District Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

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Ryan Dibble ran for election for judge of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California. He lost in the primary on June 7, 2022.

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

Biography

Dibble received bachelor's degrees in political science and accounting from the University of Southern California in 2002 and his law degree from the school in 2005. In 2006, Dibble began working with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office as a deputy district attorney. As of 2022, Dibble was also an adjunct lecturer at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

Elections

2022

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

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	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.
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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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

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	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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Dibble's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a husband, a father of two young girls, and a Deputy District Attorney who prosecutes violent crimes and homicides in Los Angeles County. I have been endorsed by over 40 judges and rated well-qualified for judicial office by the L.A. County Bar Association. After attending USC on a full academic scholarship and earning degrees in accounting and political science, I attended USC Gould School of Law and began working at the D.A.'s Office in 2006. I have prosecuted cases ranging from petty theft to murder with assignments throughout the county, and in special units within the District Attorney’s Office, including the Major Narcotics Division and the Hardcore Gang Division. I was assigned to the Major Narcotics Division from 2013 to 2017 and was involved in helping to fight the opioid crisis and in that role, I prosecuted medical doctors and others who illegally prescribed addictive opioid drugs. In 2017, I was assigned to the District Attorney’s Office’s Hardcore Gang Division, where I handled homicides and other types of cases with an alleged gang motive. During this time, I worked on cases to help some of the most vulnerable members of our community for whom violence and its consequences are so devastating.

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?

• I will seek to maintain public safety and integrity of the judicial system by properly and objectively exercising discretion within the confines of the law.
• I will treat every litigant with respect and listen carefully to all parties to leave the impression that the courts work as intended - to provide due process of law.
• I will exhibit humility and draw upon my love of learning and compassion for others to listen for opportunities to improve the lives of others.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I believe that judges should follow the law but use their discretion to gauge appropriate handling of cases on an individualized basis. In criminal courts, there are serious and violent incidents that merit stern treatment in our court system in order to protect the public, but there are also opportunities for judges to consider alternatives that can help deter future criminal activity by offering alternatives to people who are receptive to improving their lives. During my career as a deputy district attorney, I have seen many instances of individuals struggling with addiction and mental health issues for which incarceration is not an appropriate solution. I have also handled cases of violent crime involving people who pose severe risks to public safety. The key as a judge is to have the ability and perspective to discern between the wide range of criminal conduct in order to improve and protect society.

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

I look up to people who have the courage to do what is right in the face of adversity, and a genuine desire to patiently learn from others. I have been before many judges who appropriately follow the law while exhibiting humility and patience to hear from both sides, consider different viewpoints, and carefully exercise their discretion in reaching a just decision. I admire judges who conduct their business in a way that leaves courtroom litigants with the impression that, no matter what the result, they were fairly heard.

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

"Doing Justice," by former United States Attorney Preet Bharara, is a great book that describes very well the challenges and ethical obligations of being a prosecutor, and the important tasks of law enforcement, attorneys, and judges to ensure that just outcomes are achieved in our courts.

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

I am a patient person who has a desire to learn that will serve me well on the bench. I believe I have a knack for explaining complex concepts to people in terms that can be easily understood. I have gained this skill through my efforts to train law enforcement and other prosecutors during my career in topics ranging from search and seizure law and the legal requirements for wiretaps, to the successful prosecution of doctors for over-prescribing opioids and other highly addictive narcotics. I am also an adjunct lecturer in law at the USC Gould School of Law. These experiences have provided me with the skills necessary to not only know the law, but to apply and explain it in a way that the public will appreciate as I make my rulings.

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

A Superior Court Judge is responsible for running a courtroom in a fair, expeditious, impartial way that serves the community while respecting and enforcing the rights of every litigant who enters it. A judge is obligated to follow the law and not favor one side or the other and to wait to decide a case until the facts are known and the legal points have been argued.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy as a judge who was well-versed in the law who understood the full gravity of the life events that lead people - the accused, victims of crime, civil litigants, or witnesses - to court. People who have matters to be heard in court are very often going through the most difficult time in their lives, and the weight of the decisions a judge makes can have a greater impact than any act of Congress or executive order. I would like to be remembered as a judge who was fully aware of this every day of my career.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was 6 years old when the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster occurred. I recall seeing my mom cry in front of the TV as the full weight of the event became apparent. The images from TV and the emotional reactions I saw at such a young age will always be seared into my memory.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

A judge is bound to follow the law in an impartial way and not advocate for either side as he or she makes decisions. However, within the confines of the law, a judge does have large amounts of discretion in many situations. A well-suited candidate for judge is someone who will recognize they are bound by the law but utilize their discretion on a case-by-case basis while drawing from a breadth of experiences from his or her career.

Additionally, judges set the tone in their courtroom and the public's perception of fair justice can be crystalized by how the judge listens, behaves, and decides cases. Attorneys, witnesses, defendants, victims, jurors, and court staff form the public audience that observes the type of justice delivered by a judge. Every day is an opportunity for a judge to convey the message that his or her courtroom exhibits the ideals of fair process guaranteed to everybody by our Constitution.

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

Empathy is an essential quality for a judge. I fully recognize that many of the people who come before me in my court will have different lived experiences than my own. I will strive to understand the experiences and feelings of people from all different walks of life to make fair and fully-informed decisions within the bounds of the law.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

I have been rated WELL-QUALIFIED by the Los Angeles County Bar Association.

Do you believe that Bar Association ratings are an accurate reflection of a judge’s ability?

The ratings of bar associations serve as a peer-review of one's qualifications to be a fair and well-tempered judge. I believe an extensive vetting process by which candidates' peers and judges they’ve appeared before are asked to provide opinions on the candidate's skills, temperament, and reputation are helpful for the public to ensure that the person being voted for is rational, fair, even-tempered, and takes their obligation to follow the law seriously.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2022 Elections

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Candidate

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

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Footnotes

California courts

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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