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Patricia Hunter
Patricia Hunter is a judge of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California. She assumed office on January 7, 2019. Her current term ends on January 6, 2031.
Hunter 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.
Elections
2024
See also: Municipal elections in Los Angeles County, California (2024)
Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Patricia Hunter (Nonpartisan) won the election without appearing on the ballot.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hunter in this election.
2018
General election
General election for Superior Court of Los Angeles County
Patricia Hunter defeated Sydne Jane Michel in the general election for Superior Court of Los Angeles County on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Patricia Hunter (Nonpartisan)  | 61.8 | 1,387,950 |
| Sydne Jane Michel (Nonpartisan) | 38.2 | 856,752 | ||
| Total votes: 2,244,702 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Superior Court of Los Angeles County
Sydne Jane Michel and Patricia Hunter defeated Hubert Yun in the primary for Superior Court of Los Angeles County on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Sydne Jane Michel (Nonpartisan) | 39.0 | 430,548 | |
| ✔ | | Patricia Hunter (Nonpartisan) | 37.9 | 418,634 |
| Hubert Yun (Nonpartisan) | 23.0 | 254,191 | ||
| Total votes: 1,103,373 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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.[1][2][3][4]
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.[1]
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.[1]
Qualifications
Candidates are required to have 10 years of experience as a law practitioner or as a judge of a court of record.[1]
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Patricia Hunter did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
- See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys
Patricia Hunter participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on September 26, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Patricia Hunter's responses follow below.[5]
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
| “ | •Protecting the Public and Protecting People's rights
•Maintaining a courtroom where the law is followed and all parties are treated fairly and respectfully in an unbiased and impartial forum |
” |
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?
| “ | Judicial candidates can not take a position on issues that may come before them. In a more general sense, it is critical that everyone who comes into a courtroom be treated fairly and respectfully. They must know they have been heard even if they do not prevail. All people regardless of economic position, race, religion, gender, ethnicity, who they love or how they identify, abilities, disabilities or anything else, must be treated equally and fairly under the law.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[7]
|
” |
Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Patricia Hunter answered the following:
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
| “ | A judge must be able to interpret and understand the law, have integrity and treat people fairly and equally. A judge must not have an agenda and must approach each case in an unbiased manner.[7] | ” |
| “ | I have integrity, am honest and fair. I am compassionate and empathetic. My background and experience has prepared me to understand, interpret and apply the law. I graduated in the top 2% of my class at Loyola Law School, published on Law Review, clerked for a federal judge, have extensive writing and trial experience and have been in a courtroom almost every working day for over 30 years. Judges make decisions about liberty, child custody, safety, money and so much more. These are the things that keep people up at night. While I believe people must be held accountable for their behavior, I also know that they must be treated respectfully and with compassion, dignity and empathy.[7] | ” |
| “ | The core responsibilities of a person elected to this office are to interpret, follow and apply the law in a fair, impartial manner. As a prosecutor, my responsibility is to do justice, not to win. Justice is also the responsibility of a judge.[7] | ” |
| “ | The legacy I would like to leave is that I made a positive difference in people's lives. We do not always know the impact we have on those we meet, but if we treat people with dignity, respect, kindness and empathy, that alone may make a difference. A defense attorney who I have known for many years wrote a testimonial that is on my website. In addition to saying I am "honest, hard-working and fair", she shared a story about her friend who was a domestic violence victim in a case I prosecuted. She said that I showed such "care and compassion" that her friend credits me with giving her the confidence and support to leave her abusive spouse, changing her and her children's lives. Even parents of those I have prosecuted have thanked me for the way I handled their son or daughter's criminal case. I met a woman at a senior event recently who said because of the prosecutor in her case many years ago, she left an abusive situation that could have left her dead. Sometimes, it is not anything so profound and deep that has a lasting positive impact. Sometimes we make a lasting difference just because we genuinely care about how someone is doing or because we have mentored and supported someone who has a goal. Whatever it is, I hope people will remember me as caring and genuinely interested in their well-being.[7] | ” |
| “ | I remember seeing my parents cry when John F. Kennedy was shot. I was 4 years old.[7] | ” |
| “ | Thanksgiving because it is a time dedicated to my husband, three children, extended family and friends. I love the traditions including making my late mom's turkey, my late mother-in-laws stuffing and watching (not playing) the annual family football game. I am grateful beyond words that my children and their cousins on both sides love the traditions we have created.[7] | ” |
| “ | My legal philosophy is to interpret, follow and apply the law in a fair and impartial manner and to treat everyone equally under the law.[7] | ” |
| “ | Empathy is a very important quality in a judge. Everyone has a story, and their story is different from everyone else's. It is critical that judges have empathy to ensure people are heard and to help determine the best resolution to a problem. As a Prosecutor in the City of Los Angeles, I have had cases with defendants, victims, witnesses and even judges and attorneys from all walks of life and backgrounds. There is a great deal of diversity in Los Angeles. Having empathy and understanding where someone is coming from helps find the best solution to a problem in life in general and, of course, for the situations we deal with in court.[7] | ” |
| “ | The LA County Bar Association rated me "Qualified".[7] | ” |
| “ | The seats are countywide. If I am elected, I could be put in any assignment throughout the county. I put my name in for seat #16 before anyone else. I understand some people determine which opponent has an experienced campaign manager or has less funds before opting into a particular race. I put my name in for Seat #16 with the philosophy that I am very qualified, have exceptional educational and work experience and have the temperament we want on the bench. If the word gets out about my qualifications, it will not matter which seat I am in. Resources such as Ballotpedia create a level playing field for determining qualifications.[7] | ” |
| “ | I am not a sitting judge. In my first job out of law school I clerked for a federal judge, a very prestigious and highly sought after position. In that capacity, I reviewed the briefs filed by all parties, did supplemental research and made recommendations to the Judge as to how to rule. I also wrote complicated draft opinions for the judge to review, modify and use as he saw fit. Since that time, I have been in a courtroom almost every working day in front of more judges than I can count. In addition to practicing criminal law, I have practiced complex civil law in state and federal court and have substantial writing and trial experience. I have all of the qualifications to be an excellent judge.[7] | ” |
| “ | A judge should be a legal scholar who has the background, training, integrity and temperament needed to understand, interpret and apply the law in a fair, impartial manner.[7] | ” |
| “ | Before becoming a prosecutor, I thought my qualifications would be best utilized doing scholarly appellate work and writing legal briefs in an office. I now know I am best able to serve my community by being in an LA Superior Court handling legal issues face to face with those who are seeking justice. In other words, no.[7] | ” |
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 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
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Patricia Hunter's responses," September 26, 2018
- ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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
