Vincent H. Okamoto
Vincent H. Okamoto was a judge for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Okamoto appointed by Governor Gray Davis on April 12, 2002, to succeed Richard Kalustian. He retired from the court on September 27, 2020 after passing away.[1][2]
Education
Okamoto received a bachelor's degree and a J.D. from the University of Southern California.[1]
Career
Prior to becoming a judge for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Okamoto was a partner in the law firm of Okamoto, Wasserman and Torii where he specialized in financial consultation, transactional matters and civil litigation. Less recently, Okamoto worked in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office as a prosecutor and as an attorney specializing in business and corporate law, family law, personal injury and criminal law. In 1986 Okamoto became the founding chairman and chief executive officer of Pacific Heritage Bank where he worked for nine years. Okamoto also served in the Vietnam War and was discharged with the rank of captain.[1]
Elections
2016
California held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. There was a primary on June 7, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was March 31, 2016. A total of 351 seats were up for election. Incumbent Vincent H. Okamoto ran unopposed in the election for Office 172 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court.[3]
| Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge, Office #172, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
 Vincent H. Okamoto Incumbent | ||
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.[4][5][6][7]
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.[4]
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.[4]
Qualifications
Candidates are required to have 10 years of experience as a law practitioner or as a judge of a court of record.[4]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Metropolitan News-Enterprise, "Davis Names Three to Los Angeles Superior Court," April 15, 2002
- ↑ The Rafu Shimpo, OBITUARY: Vincent Okamoto, 76; Judge, Vietnam War Hero," accessed June 29, 2022
- ↑ Los Angeles County, CA, "Candidate Filing Report," accessed April 5, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 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
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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
