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Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 75033', '§ 15', '§ 6', '§ 18', '§ 18', '§ 18', '§ 18', '§ 18', '§ 10', '§ 1016', '§ 1300', '§ 10177', '§ 18', '§ 18', '§ 42', '§ 18', '§ 987', '§ 170', '§ 12028', '§ 148', '§ 3', '§ 18']

Kennick v. Commission on Judicial Performance (1990) :: :: Supreme Court of California Decisions :: California Case Law :: California Law :: US Law :: Justia
Justia › US Law › Case Law › California Case Law › Cal. 3d › Volume 50 › Kennick v. Commission on Judicial Performance (1990)
Kennick v. Commission on Judicial Performance (1990)
[No. S003813. Supreme Court of California. Mar 8, 1990.]
John K. Van de Kamp, Attorney General, Steve White, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Robert F. Katz and Susan D. Martynec, Deputy Attorneys General, for Respondent. [50 Cal. 3d 307]
After the filing of that order, petitioner informed us by letter of his willingness, as a basis for dismissal, to agree to his ineligibility for future judicial office and suspension from the practice of law.fn. 2 He now contends [50 Cal. 3d 308] that this willingness creates an additional basis for dismissal based on mootness. He further contends his fitness to practice law should be determined in proceedings before the State Bar.
The commission's findings, which are in eight counts, deal with five factual situations, beginning with the arrest and conviction of petitioner for [50 Cal. 3d 309] drunk driving in August 1985. It is found that he was rude and abusive toward the arresting officers and refused to take field sobriety or bloodalcohol tests (count two), that he sought preferential treatment because of his judicial status and asked an officer if "the paperwork could get lost" before it reached the court (count one), and that he was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol on a plea of nolo contendere (count three). A second group of findings specifies numerous instances of demeaning, rude, impatient, or abusive behavior, and denial of litigants' and attorneys' rights to be heard, both on the bench and in chambers (counts four and six). Next are findings that petitioner favored certain attorneys in appointing counsel for indigent defendants (count five). In another count it is found that in a long conversation with a waitress at a restaurant, petitioner implied she should not worry about a drunk driving arrest (count seven). Finally, it is found that petitioner's excessive absences from the courthouse, and his cessation of work altogether at the beginning of 1987, constituted persistent failure or inability to perform judicial duties (count eight).
[1] Petitioner contends his retirement has made this proceeding moot because we no longer can grant the relief sought by the commission, i.e., his removal from office. (See Paul v. Milk Depots, Inc. (1964) 62 Cal. 2d 129 [41 Cal. Rptr. 468, 396 P.2d 924] [proceeding to enforce marketing regulation rendered moot by defendant's bankruptcy and cessation of business].) Article VI, section 18, subdivision (d), of the California Constitution, however, provides: "A judge removed by the Supreme Court is ineligible for judicial office and pending further order of the court is suspended from practicing law in this State." Thus, the filing in this court of the commission's recommendation of removal placed in issue (1) whether petitioner should continue in the judicial office which he then held, (2) whether he should be eligible for any judicial office, and (3) whether he should be suspended from the practice of law in California until further order of this court.
The statute under which petitioner retired provides that "[a]n election to retire" thereunder "shall be without right of revocation, and upon such filing [of the election] said judge shall be deemed retired with receipt of benefits deferred until herein provided, and the judicial office from which he or she has retired shall become vacant." (Gov. Code, § 75033.5.) Petitioner's election to retire therefore eliminated any possibility of his continuing in the judicial office he was holding at the time of the commission's recommendation. His retirement did not, however, foreclose his future eligibility to serve as a judge (see Cal. Const., art. VI, § 15 & 5th par. of § 6), and that eligibility remained for determination in this proceeding. [50 Cal. 3d 310]
No such notice was required. Rejecting a similar due process claim under a statute authorizing automatic suspension or disbarment of an attorney convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude, this court held that notice of the criminal proceedings was constitutionally sufficient. "The law informs [the accused attorney] that one of the results of his conviction will be his subsequent disbarment .... This answers the constitutional requirement that he shall have due process of law before he can be deprived of his right to practice." (In re Collins (1922) 188 Cal. 701, 708 [206 P. 990, 32 A.L.R. 1062]; accord In re Rothrock (1944) 25 Cal. 2d 588, 592 [154 P.2d 392].) So here, petitioner received the commission's notice of formal proceedings expressly charging him with conduct constituting grounds for removal from office (Cal. Const., art. VI, § 18, subd. (c)) and had notice from the Constitution itself that a removed judge would be automatically suspended from law practice unless and until this court ordered otherwise (id., art. VI, § 18, subd. (d)). Petitioner also knew, or should have known, that this court, in responding to any recommendation of removal, would consider only the charges sustained by the commission. (Wenger v. Commission on Judicial Performance (1981) 29 Cal. 3d 615, 622 [175 Cal. Rptr. 420, 630 P.2d 954].) Whether the record of the commission's proceedings pertaining to those charges discloses grounds for declining to suspend petitioner from law practice upon removal from office is a legal question that petitioner can and does address before this court.
[3] Petitioner claims that suspension from law practice would deprive him of equal protection of the laws because, he argues, there is no rational basis for subjecting an attorney who happens to be a removed judge to disciplinary sanctions not applicable to other attorneys. To the contrary, California law makes a reasonable distinction between suspension from law practice based on the attorney's conduct while a judge and suspension or disbarment that is based on other conduct and ordinarily arises out of proceedings before the State Bar. Investigation of judges' conduct for purposes of judicial discipline is entrusted to the commission, and if this court [50 Cal. 3d 311] accepts the commission's recommendation of removal, the question of suspension is determined by this court from the record of proceedings before the commission, without the necessity for further factual investigation.
An analogy to State Bar proceedings is again instructive. An attorney who has been allowed to resign from the State Bar during the pendency of disciplinary proceedings may resume practice by undergoing the proceedings [50 Cal. 3d 312] required for reinstatement after disbarment, including a State Bar investigation, a public hearing before a hearing panel, a favorable recommendation to this court, and our acceptance of that recommendation. (See Rules Proc. of State Bar, rules 225, 660 et seq.) [5] In considering a recommendation of reinstatement after disbarment, this court must consider "the evidence of present character ... in the light of the moral shortcomings which resulted in the imposition of discipline. [Citation.]" (Roth v. State Bar (1953) 40 Cal. 2d 307, 313 [253 P.2d 969]; accord Tardiff v. State Bar (1980) 27 Cal. 3d 395, 403 [165 Cal. Rptr. 829, 612 P.2d 919].) Yet if the attorney has been allowed to resign and thus avoid disciplinary proceedings, no such grounds for discipline will have been established. To fill this gap, acceptance of resignation may be conditioned upon perpetuation of testimony concerning the attorney's conduct pertinent to his or her fitness to practice law. (Rule 960(c); Rules Proc. of State Bar, rule 650 et seq.) This step makes it possible to consider a resigned attorney's application for reinstatement in light of evidence of the attorney's preresignation conduct, in lieu of findings on that subject.
[4b] Similarly, if we were to suspend petitioner from the practice of law and then dismiss this proceeding as he requests, he would be entitled to apply for reinstatement to practice. Determination of the application would require our consideration of whether petitioner had presented proof of rehabilitation sufficient to overcome the grounds for suspension (see Tardiff v. State Bar, supra, 27 Cal. 3d 395, 403; Roth v. State Bar, supra, 40 Cal. 2d 307, 313). A necessary foundation of that determination, of course, would be the ascertainment of what grounds, if any, had warranted suspension in the first place. That inquiry would necessitate resolution of the merits of the present proceeding, i.e., whether the commission's recommendation of removal from judicial office should be sustained and, if so, whether the grounds for removal also constituted grounds for suspending petitioner from law practice. The only practicable way to resolve the merits would be for the commission to appear before us in the reinstatement proceeding to defend its findings and recommendation of removal; yet the commission would then be burdened by all the adverse consequences of the delay between dismissal of the present proceeding and the hearing of the application for reinstatement, e.g., staleness of the record, the dimming of counsel's recollections, and changes in commission personnel.
Thus, to dismiss this proceeding simply because of petitioner's retirement and temporary acceptance of some of the consequences of removal from office might well result in our simply postponing, rather than forgoing, consideration of the merits of the commission's recommendation of removal and the question whether, if the recommendation is accepted, the conduct warranting removal calls for suspension of petitioner from the practice of [50 Cal. 3d 313] law in this state. Because of the practical difficulties such postponed consideration would raise, we decline to follow this course.fn. 3
[6] Willful misconduct, or "wilful misconduct in office" (art. VI, § 18, subd. (c)), has two elements: it must be willful, i.e., done with malice or in bad faith, and it must be committed in office, i.e., while acting in a judicial capacity. (Gonzales v. Commission on Judicial Performance (1983) 33 Cal. 3d 359, 365 [188 Cal. Rptr. 880, 657 P.2d 372]); Geiler v. Commission on Judicial Qualifications (1973) 10 Cal. 3d 270, 283-284 [110 Cal. Rptr. 201, 515 P.2d 1].) The element of bad faith, or malice, must meet a two-pronged test: the judge must have "(1) committed acts he knew or should have [50 Cal. 3d 314] known to be beyond his power, (2) for a purpose other than faithful discharge of judicial duties." ( Wenger v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 29 Cal. 3d 615, 622, fn. 4; accord Furey v. Commission on Judicial Performance (1987) 43 Cal. 3d 1297, 1305 [240 Cal. Rptr. 859, 743 P.2d 919].)
[7] Prejudicial conduct, or "conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings the judicial office into disrepute" (art. VI, § 18, subd. (c)), is generally less serious than willful misconduct and may be committed either (1) while acting in other than a judicial capacity or (2) while acting in a judicial capacity but in good faith and without malice. Prejudicial conduct while acting in a judicial capacity means "conduct which a judge undertakes in good faith but which nevertheless would appear to an objective observer to be not only unjudicial conduct but conduct prejudicial to public esteem for the judicial office." ( Geiler v. Commission on Judicial Qualifications, supra, 10 Cal. 3d 270, 284; accord Ryan v. Commission on Judicial Performance (1988) 45 Cal. 3d 518, 530-531 [247 Cal. Rptr. 378, 754 P.2d 724, 76 A.L.R.4th 951].) Prejudicial conduct while not acting in a judicial capacity may be committed in bad faith or with malice and thus fall short of willful misconduct only because not committed in a judicial capacity. ( Furey v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 43 Cal. 3d 1297, 1304; Geiler, supra, 10 Cal.3d at p. 284, fn. 11.) The provision that prejudicial conduct must be that which "brings the judicial office into disrepute" (art. VI, § 18, subd. (c)) does "not require notoriety, but only that the conduct be 'damaging to the esteem for the judiciary held by members of the public who observed such conduct.' (McCartney v. Commission on Judicial Qualifications (1974) 12 Cal. 3d 512, 534 [116 Cal. Rptr. 260, 526 P.2d 2681].)" ( Wenger v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 29 Cal. 3d 615, 622-623, fn. 4.)
[8] In considering the commission's report and recommendation, we must independently review the record and sustain the charges against petitioner only to the extent we find there is clear and convincing evidence sufficient to prove them to a reasonable certainty. ( Ryan v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 45 Cal. 3d 518, 530; Furey v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 43 Cal. 3d 1297, 1304.) We must then determine, as a matter of law, what if any constitutional grounds for judicial discipline are established by each of the findings thus sustained and whether those grounds support the commission's recommendation of removal. ( Geiler v. Commission on Judicial Qualifications, supra, 10 Cal. 3d 270, 276.) In formulating these legal conclusions, we give great weight to the conclusions of the commission. ( Ryan, supra, 45 Cal.3d at p. 530; Wenger v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 29 Cal.3d at p. 623.) In resolving disputed issues of fact, however, we give special deference to the determinations [50 Cal. 3d 315] of the masters, who were best able to evaluate the truthfulness of the witnesses appearing before them. ( Ryan, supra, 45 Cal.3d at p. 530; Furey v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 43 Cal. 3d 1297, 1304.) Each of the three masters who heard petitioner's case was a judge or retired judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court and thus experienced in assessing credibility.fn. 5
[9] Some of the commission's findings expand upon the charges in the amended notice of formal proceedings. We have repeatedly refused to adopt commission determinations of judicial misconduct based on findings outside the scope of a notice of formal proceedings, as amended. ( Wenger v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 29 Cal. 3d 615, 638-639; Cannon v. Commission on Judicial Qualifications (1975) 14 Cal. 3d 678, 696 [122 Cal. Rptr. 778, 537 P.2d 898].) Here, neither the masters nor the commission exercised their power under rule 911 to allow or require further amendments that would have enlarged the scope of the notice to encompass the commission's findings. We therefore consider the findings only for their bearing upon the charges that the amended notice, together with petitioner's answer, placed in issue (see rules 908(a), 912(a)).
[10] Count two charged that at the time of petitioner's arrest, he failed to cooperate by behaving in a rude and abusive manner toward the arresting officers, refusing to complete field sobriety tests, and refusing to submit to any chemical test of his blood, breath or urine despite the implied consent provisions of the Vehicle Code. The commission found all these charges to [50 Cal. 3d 316] be true and further found that petitioner refused the chemical tests despite being advised five times about the implied consent provisions. The commission also found that the arresting officers and the officers at the sheriff's substation where petitioner was taken following the arrest observed objective symptoms indicating that he was under the influence of alcohol.
Petitioner testified that he had had no more than three and a half glasses of wine and that he was not uncooperative. He contends the officers' testimony that he was rude and obnoxious should be disbelieved because they did not treat him as physically dangerous. Thus, they took no precautions to restrain him while interviewing him outside the cell or while Bladow drove him home in the front seat of the patrol car. The commission's findings, however, pertain only to noncooperation and verbal abuse, not to physical threats or conduct. [50 Cal. 3d 317]
Bladow testified that during this conversation petitioner "made a request that maybe I [Bladow] could lose the paperwork or the paperwork could get lost somewhere between the office and the court." Bladow replied that "we" would not do that. He mentioned certain pending charges against two CHP officers for failing to process paperwork for the court and said he would not jeopardize his job by doing such a thing. Petitioner asked if Bladow's captain could help petitioner or maybe lose the paperwork. Bladow replied that Captain Whiteside "would not under any circumstances be involved in anything like that," but that petitioner was free to speak with him. [50 Cal. 3d 318]
A closer question is presented by the commission's conclusion that in this incident petitioner "abused his authority as a judge in an attempt to obtain preferential treatment," and that his behavior constituted willful misconduct in office as well as prejudicial conduct. For purposes of judicial discipline, willful misconduct can be committed only while acting in a judicial capacity. ( Gonzales v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 33 Cal. 3d 359, 365; Geiler v. Commission on Judicial Qualifications, supra, 10 Cal. 3d 270, 283-284.) The question, therefore, is whether petitioner was acting in a judicial capacity when he asked Sergeant Bladow for preferential treatment at the CHP office on August 22.
In support of its theory of willful misconduct under count one, the commission made an additional finding pertaining to an earlier incident that occurred when Sergeant Bladow was driving petitioner home from the sheriff's substation in the early morning hours of August 21, just after petitioner's arrest. At that time, states the finding, petitioner "referred to his judicial status and told the sergeant to remember that the Highway Patrol [50 Cal. 3d 319] had to come before him when he was on the bench." Bladow testified that this statement was made at the end of the 20-minute ride home, during which petitioner berated CHP personnel for arresting him and not letting him drive his own car home. The remark does not appear to have been accompanied by any request for special treatment. The incident confirmed what undoubtedly was already common knowledge on the part of Bladow and petitioner, that the latter was a municipal court judge before whom CHP officers might appear from time to time as witnesses.
The mere fact of this common knowledge is insufficient to establish that petitioner was acting in a judicial capacity during the conversation in which he made the requests for special treatment. The present case is clearly distinguishable from the two decisions cited by the commission on this issue, in each of which a judge committed misconduct by using the authority of his office for improper ends. Thus, in Spruance v. Commission on Judicial Qualifications (1975) 13 Cal. 3d 778, 794, footnote 14, and 798-799 [119 Cal. Rptr. 841, 532 P.2d 1209], the judge had received a traffic citation and committed willful misconduct by entering the chambers of a fellow judge of the same court and prevailing upon the latter to prepare and sign a dismissal of the citation. In Gonzales v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 33 Cal. 3d 359, 366-369, the judge summoned a deputy district attorney into his chambers and attempted to persuade the latter to dismiss charges in cases not before the judge. Here, in contrast, petitioner made his improper requests in a conversation that took place wholly outside any judicial setting. There is no evidence that he even referred to his judicial status on that occasion.
Accordingly, it has not been proved by clear and convincing evidence that petitioner was acting in a judicial capacity when he sought favorable treatment from Bladow. The conduct of a judge not acting in judicial capacity cannot amount to willful misconduct, for purposes of judicial discipline, regardless of the malice or bad faith involved. ( Furey v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 43 Cal. 3d 1297, 1304; Gonzales v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 33 Cal. 3d 359, 365; Geiler v. Commission on Judicial Qualifications, supra, 10 Cal.3d, 270, 284, fn. 11.) We therefore hold that by engaging in the acts charged and proved under count one, petitioner committed prejudicial conduct but not willful misconduct.
[12] Count three charges that on October 1, 1985, petitioner was "convicted in the Los Cerritos Municipal Court, on a plea of nolo contendere, of [50 Cal. 3d 320] the offense of driving under the influence of alcohol on August 21, 1985." The masters and the commission upheld this charge and found additionally that there was no valid explanation for the nolo contendere plea other than petitioner's guilt. These additional findings must be disregarded in our consideration of this count, however, if the charge itself does not state a ground for discipline. We conclude that it does not.
In Cartwright v. Board of Chiropractic Examiners (1976) 16 Cal. 3d 762 [129 Cal. Rptr. 462, 548 P.2d 1134], we held that the license of a chiropractor who had been convicted on a plea of nolo contendere of violating Penal Code section 316 (prohibiting the keeping of a "disorderly house") could not be revoked for "conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude" (Chiropractic Act, former § 10, subd. (b), 3 West's Ann. Bus. & Prof. Code (1974 ed.) p. 147). Our holding rested not on the statutory prohibition against using a nolo contendere plea as an admission in a civil suit (Pen. Code, former § 1016, subd. 3), but on judicial construction of the nolo contendere plea as the equivalent of a guilty plea for only the purpose of the criminal proceeding. (16 Cal.3d at p. 772; see In re Hallinan (1954) 43 Cal. 2d 243, 247 [272 P.2d 768]; Grannis v. Board of Medical Examiners (1971) 19 Cal. App. 3d 551, 557-560 [96 Cal. Rptr. 863]; Kirby v. Alcoholic Bev. etc. App. Bd. (1969) 3 Cal. App. 3d 209, 218-222 [83 Cal. Rptr. 89]; Caminetti v. Imperial Mut. L. Ins. Co. (1943) 59 Cal. App. 2d 476, 490-492 [139 P.2d 681].)
The practical impact of the Cartwright principle has been substantially narrowed by legislation expanding the legal effect of a nolo contendere plea. Penal Code section 1016, subdivision 3, now provides that the "legal effect of [a nolo contendere] plea, to a crime punishable as a felony, shall be the same as that of a plea of guilty for all purposes." (Italics supplied; see also Evid. Code, § 1300.) A number of licensing statutes have been amended to specify a nolo contendere plea, or conviction based thereon, as a ground for discipline. ( Cartwright v. Board of Chiropractic Examiners, supra, 16 Cal.3d at p. 771; Arneson v. Fox (1980) 28 Cal. 3d 440 [170 Cal. Rptr. 778, 621 P.2d [50 Cal. 3d 321] 817] [sustaining revocation of license of real estate broker, convicted after nolo contendere plea, under Bus. & Prof. Code, § 10177, subd. (b)].)fn. 6
The commission contends that our reliance in Cartwright v. Board of Chiropractic Examiners, supra, 16 Cal. 3d 762, on the absence of any legislative provision for basing discipline on convictions following nolo contendere pleas, makes our holding inapplicable to constitutionally based judicial disciplinary proceedings. The Constitution itself, however, expressly provides for judicial discipline based on "no contest" (nolo contendere) pleas only if the plea is to a crime punishable as a felony or involving moral turpitude. (Cal. Const., art. VI, § 18, subd. (b).) The drafters of the constitutional provision seem to have recognized that a nolo contendere plea to a lesser crime may be "induced by factors collateral to the issue of guilt" ( Arneson v. Fox, supra, 28 Cal. 3d 440, 446). Indeed, if a judge considers himself or herself not guilty of a charged misdemeanor or infraction not involving moral turpitude, a nolo contendere plea may well be less "prejudicial to the administration of justice" or less likely to "[bring] the judicial office into disrepute" (art. VI, § 18, subd. (c)) than would the adverse publicity and the expenditure of time and money which would result from a plea of not guilty.
Count four charges petitioner with demeaning, rude, impatient, and abusive behavior toward individuals appearing before him, and count six [50 Cal. 3d 322] charges him with denying parties or their attorneys the right to be heard. Incidents exemplifying these charges are described in the following paragraphs under count 4. (We omit paragraphs e and g since the charges therein were dismissed by the commission.) (a) Taking over questioning and ordering counsel not to return (par. a; dismissed)
The commission contends that petitioner's ordering counsel not to return to his courtroom was parallel to the willful misconduct of Judge Wenger in banishing a deputy district attorney from his courtroom. Wenger, however, imposed the ban apparently to prevent the deputy from reporting his conduct to the commission. ( Wenger v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 29 Cal. 3d 615, 650-652.) Here, the incident arose when the deputy [50 Cal. 3d 323] apparently objected to being addressed as "ma'am," was told by petitioner "not to come in here again," and replied, "Thank you very much. That's a privilege." Petitioner testified that the deputy spoke in a sharp tone and was insolent and disrespectful. Although she thereafter refrained from appearing before petitioner, the masters found it "not true that [petitioner] intimidated counsel." Giving due weight to the masters' assessment of credibility, we conclude that the commission's findings and conclusions of prejudicial conduct in connection with the conduct charged in paragraph a of count four are not supported by clear and convincing evidence. Accordingly, the charges based on that paragraph are dismissed.
Shortly after the incident, Channell visited the chambers of Judge Lorna Parnell and explained what had happened. Less than an hour later, as Judge [50 Cal. 3d 324] Parnell was leaving the courthouse, she walked past petitioner's chambers, where she saw and heard petitioner laughing and telling his clerk how funny it was that he had upset a deputy district attorney and made her run out of his courtroom. Petitioner testified that he did raise his voice during the meeting with Channell in chambers, but that he had no recollection of later laughing about the matter with the clerk.
Clear and convincing evidence supports the commission's findings that petitioner's behavior, as described in paragraph b of count four, was demeaning, rude, impatient and abusive, and was treated by him as a laughing matter. We also agree that he was acting in a judicial capacity and in bad faith, and that his actions therefore constituted willful misconduct in office as well as prejudicial conduct. We decline, however, to adopt the commission's conclusion that petitioner's curtailment of the deputy district attorney's cross-examination constituted prejudicial conduct consisting of a denial of the right of a party or counsel to be heard (count six, cross-referring to paragraph b of count four). Petitioner's view that he had discretion to curtail the preliminary examination, out of concern for security of the courtroom, once there was sufficient evidence to hold the defendant to answer, "had at least enough merit to prevent the holding of it from constituting misconduct" ( Wenger v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 29 Cal. 3d 615, 647, fn. 13).
The commission found that petitioner had used these expressions in open court, but the masters found he had not done so. There was testimony that petitioner had used the terms "sweetie" or "sweetheart" to "females in the courtroom," but the witness did not specify whether court was then in [50 Cal. 3d 325] session. Thus, the commission's finding on this point lacks the requisite evidentiary support. It can fairly be inferred, however, that petitioner used the expressions in and about the courthouse during business hours to people he knew principally or solely in connection with his judicial duties. We agree with the commission that petitioner's use of these terms in addressing women under those circumstances was unprofessional, demeaning and sexist, and violated canon 3A(3) of the California Code of Judicial Conduct ("Judges should be patient, dignified, and courteous to litigants, jurors, witnesses, lawyers, and others with whom judges deal in their official capacity ...."). We therefore adopt the conclusions of the masters and the commission that these acts constituted prejudicial conduct.
[16] The commission's findings are amply supported by the testimony of two deputy district attorneys and two deputy city attorneys, all of whom had appeared frequently in petitioner's courtroom. Petitioner called 28 witnesses, including attorneys, bailiffs, clerks and court reporters, who testified to being frequently present in petitioner's courtroom without observing any of this type of misbehavior. The fact that petitioner proceeded properly and courteously on many, or even most, occasions, however, does not excuse the instances of misconduct proved by testimony which the masters found credible. We adopt the commission's findings on paragraph d of count four, as well as its conclusion that the subject behavior constituted prejudicial conduct. We also agree with the commission that petitioner's refusal to listen to defendants who were attempting to address the court, as found under paragraph d of count four, amounted to prejudicial conduct consisting of the denial of parties' full right to be heard, as charged in count six. [50 Cal. 3d 326]
The masters concluded that the foregoing behavior, charged in paragraph f, constituted willful misconduct, but the commission decided it was only prejudicial conduct. The evidence does not establish clearly and convincingly that the acts in question were committed for a purpose other than the faithful discharge of judicial duties and thus amounted to more than spontaneous outbursts. In the absence of a showing of bad faith requisite for willful misconduct, we conclude that the findings under paragraph f of count four constituted prejudicial conduct. We also conclude that petitioner's [50 Cal. 3d 327] angry rebuff of counsel's attempt to make a bail motion denied counsel the right to be heard and, as determined by the commission, thereby constituted prejudicial conduct under count six.
Paragraph a of count five charges petitioner with exercising his power of appointment on behalf of Attorneys Veganes and Pantoja in an extremely high number of cases during the years 1983 to 1986. The masters found that this charge was true and constituted prejudicial conduct. [50 Cal. 3d 328]
Petitioner's clerk testified that when appointments were necessary because the public defender was unavailable or declared a conflict, petitioner [50 Cal. 3d 329] would have her check the building for available attorneys, and if she could not find one she would make telephone calls to attorneys who had asked to be placed on the appointments list. She named nine attorneys (including the three in question) who were repeatedly appointed, and she denied that petitioner had ever told her to call only Veganes, Pantoja, and Anderson.
Finally, the fourth subfinding is that "[w]hile assigned to the municipal court on Bauchet Street in Los Angeles, [petitioner] made Penal Code section 987.2 appointments to Mr. Pantoja in order to help Mr. Pantoja reestablish his private practice of law." The finding is based on a single [50 Cal. 3d 330] "yes" answer by petitioner on cross-examination, in response to a question whether he had done what the finding states. There is no other evidence of favoritism toward Pantoja at that time, which preceded petitioner's assignment to San Pedro.
The commission also concluded, however, that petitioner's favoritism in appointing counsel constituted willful misconduct. The commission relies for this conclusion on Spruance v. Commission on Judicial Qualifications, supra, 13 Cal. 3d 778, contending that that decision is directly in point. It is not. Judge Spruance committed willful misconduct by making "illegal and unjustified appointments of two attorneys" who were his friends and supporters. (Id. at p. 799.) "[N]o valid reason, such as conflict of interest, existed to justify [the 27] appointments [in question], nor does it appear that in each of the 27 cases a determination of the indigency of these defendants had been duly made as required by Government Code section 27707. [The attorneys] were compensated by Alameda County public funds in amounts not less than $150 for each court appearance without regard to the nature of the service performed or the time expended ...." (Id. at p. 795, fn. 15.) In the present case, by contrast, there is no contention or evidence that any of petitioner's appointments of the allegedly favored attorneys was not fully justified under Penal Code section 987.2 and related sections, or that the attorneys were overpaid for their services.
Nor do we find any other clear and convincing evidence that petitioner acted in bad faith, i.e., that he knew or should have known the appointments were beyond his powers and that he made them for a purpose other than the faithful discharge of his judicial duties (see Gubler v. Commission on Judicial Performance (1984) 37 Cal. 3d 27, 45-46 [207 Cal. Rptr. 171, 688 P.2d 551]). There is evidence that petitioner was not given clear guidelines for allocating the appointments, and that he acted to provide competent counsel whenever needed without conscious favoritism. Though there was other evidence from which inferences of bad faith might be drawn, such evidence appears to have been rejected by the masters, who were best able to judge credibility. We therefore conclude that the conduct charged in paragraph [50 Cal. 3d 331] a of count five constituted prejudicial conduct but not willful misconduct. (b) Ex parte conversations with attorneys who were appearing on appointed cases (par. b)
Mr. Pantoja testified that he frequently visited petitioner in chambers during the lunch period, perhaps twice a week, and that most of the time they were alone. When asked whether during those visits he ever discussed cases in which petitioner had appointed him as counsel, he answered, "Yes." While supportive of the commission's finding, this testimony is literally consistent with the masters' finding that petitioner had no ex parte [50 Cal. 3d 332] conversations with the attorneys concerning cases "in which they were appearing" before him. Pantoja's answer could have referred to cases already finally disposed of by the court. Although the question is close, we defer to the masters' determinations of credibility and adopt their finding that petitioner had no ex parte conversations with attorneys about cases in which they were appearing before him. We conclude, however, that petitioner's practice of meeting alone in chambers with an attorney representing one side of a case pending before him in the absence of circumstances that would make ex parte communication proper (see, e.g., 6 Witkin, Cal. Procedure (3d ed. 1985) Proceedings Without Trial, §§ 42-44) gave rise to an appearance of impropriety. It therefore constituted prejudicial conduct "that brings the judicial office into disrepute" (art. VI, § 18, subd. (c)). Improper Suggestion to Waitress Not to Worry About Drunk Driving Arrest (Count seven)
Notwithstanding this limited scope of the commission's finding, the commission's brief in this court analyzes at length certain testimony from which it might be inferred that petitioner made repeated offers of improper assistance in the matter. None of that testimony is properly before us. [21] It is settled that we "predicate our adoption, modification, or rejection of the Commission's recommendation [to remove petitioner from his judicial office] solely upon those specifications in the [Amended] Notice of Formal Proceedings which the Commission found both to have been proven as a matter of fact and to have constituted constitutionally sufficient grounds for the imposition of discipline." (Spruance v. Commission on Judicial Qualifications, supra, 13 Cal. 3d 778, 785, fn. 5.) Thus, on count seven, we are concerned factually only with the commission's finding that during his long conversation with the waitress, petitioner implied that she should not worry about her recent arrest for drunk driving. [50 Cal. 3d 333]
[23] Paragraph a of count eight alleged that petitioner had "maintained abbreviated working hours, beginning work at 10:00 or 10:30 a.m., taking [50 Cal. 3d 334] lunch breaks of two to three hours and often stopping work at 4:00 p.m. or earlier." The commission, but not the masters, found this paragraph to be true.
Markulis testified, however, that when petitioner was not on the bench, he was usually in his chambers busy with paperwork, including probation and sentencing reports, small claims cases (which he customarily took under submission), and applications for appointment or compensation of counsel. The commission contends, based on testimony of petitioner's friends, that he spent too much time in chambers socializing instead of working. [50 Cal. 3d 335]
[24] Paragraph b of count eight charges that petitioner "did not work approximately ninety-six and one-half days between March 8, 1985 and December 31, 1986; [petitioner] reported inability to work for health reasons on 21 of those days. [Petitioner] apparently ha[s] stopped working and [is] not working in 1987." This charge was found true by the masters and the commission, who also found "[t]here was no legal justification for [petitioner's] failure to work as such during 1987," and concluded that the conduct charged in paragraph b constituted persistent failure or inability to perform judicial duties. [50 Cal. 3d 336]
The masters and the commission also concluded that the conduct charged and found true under paragraph b constitutes a persistent failure or inability by petitioner to perform his judicial duties. This conclusion is clearly correct, particularly in view of the constitutional history of the elimination of willfulness as an element of this ground for removal. [50 Cal. 3d 337]
[25] There is merit in petitioner's contention that our findings of his willful misconduct and prejudicial conduct are insufficient to warrant removal even though they clearly support the lesser discipline of censure.fn. 9 Indeed, our findings against petitioner are similar in degree of gravity to those in two relatively recent cases in which only censure was imposed: [50 Cal. 3d 338] Gubler v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 37 Cal. 3d 27, and Roberts v. Commission on Judicial Performance (1983) 33 Cal. 3d 739 [190 Cal. Rptr. 910, 661 P.2d 1064].
In Gubler, supra, 37 Cal. 3d 27, the judge made a variety of orders violative of statutory restrictions on enforcement of a defendant's obligation to pay the county for services of the public defender (Pen. Code, § 987.8). The orders unlawfully required defendants to appear for fee-collecting purposes, made fee payments an apparent condition of probation, extracted fees from deposits for bail and, in one instance found to be willful misconduct, doubled a fee because of the judge's irritation over counsel's objection to the fee's being made an apparent condition of probation. Judge Gubler also committed willful misconduct by writing a note to a court commissioner recommending disposition of a case in which the judge had been peremptorily disqualified (Code Civ. Proc., § 170.6). Finally, the judge on four occasions illegally released confiscated guns for sale to his courtroom bailiff, who was a close personal friend, or to purchasers brought in by the bailiff. (See Pen. Code, § 12028.)
In Roberts v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 33 Cal. 3d 739, we held that an independent basis for our censure order was afforded by the judge's conviction (after jury trial) for obstructing a public officer (Pen. Code, § 148) under circumstances reminiscent of the present case. Uniformed officers stopped a car being driven erratically by the judge's son and began to give the son a field sobriety test. The judge emerged from the car, told the officers they had no business stopping the car, directed obscenities at them, handed them a card identifying himself as a judge, and finally struck an officer in the chest and grabbed his shirt. Another independent basis for the Roberts censure order was a matter in which the judge threatened a district attorney who had sought a writ against his ruling; advised the public defender, ex parte, "'You'd better win this or I won't grant another motion for you'"; and then, after the Court of Appeal had granted the writ, telephoned the presiding justice before expiration of the time for rehearing, angrily protesting the decision. In another matter, involving child neglect, the judge "'improperly acted as an advocate, prejudged issues, abusively curtailed the presentation of evidence, and treated witnesses, litigants and an attorney in a rude, intimidating and demeaning manner.'" (33 Cal.3d at p. 744.) Moreover, after making his ruling, the judge threatened to report losing counsel to the State Bar if she advised her client to appeal, and then after the appeal was taken made an ex parte request to substituted counsel to consider dismissing the appeal. Finally, during a felony trial, the judge called inexperienced defense counsel into chambers [50 Cal. 3d 339] and caused her to cry by loudly and angrily accusing her of being incompetent and quizzing her about her legal experience.
All this judicial misbehavior by petitioner, though deplorable and clearly calling for censure, falls significantly short of the showings of willful misconduct and prejudicial conduct on which we have based orders removing judges. In Furey v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 43 Cal. 3d 1297, we removed a judge after sustaining eight charges of willful misconduct arising out of four incidents, plus ten charges of prejudicial conduct; the charges included abuses of the contempt power and an attempt [50 Cal. 3d 340] to influence a case in which the judge had been disqualified. In that opinion, we reviewed five previous cases of judicial removal. (43 Cal.3d at p. 1318.)
Since then, three other judges have been removed. In one of those cases, the judge repeatedly abused his contempt power, personally embroiled himself in cases by ex parte communication or investigation, and regularly left the courthouse at 2 p.m., or even in the morning on Fridays. (Ryan v. Commission on Judicial Performance (1988) 45 Cal. 3d 518 [247 Cal. Rptr. 378, 754 P.2d 724, 76 A.L.R.4th 951].) In a second case, the judge directed a guilty verdict, dismissed a criminal action against a lifelong friend whom the judge had failed even to arraign, ordered criminal trials to proceed in the absence of defense counsel, and failed to sign a judgment even after this court had formally censured him for failing to do so. (McCullough v. Commission on Judicial Performance (1989) 49 Cal. 3d 186 [260 Cal. Rptr. 557, 776 P.2d 259].) Finally, in the third case, removal was based on twenty-five findings of willful misconduct or prejudicial misconduct, including the following: ten incidents of prejudicial conduct over a four-year period reflecting a persistent pattern of rude, abusive behavior toward litigants, witnesses, counsel, and court personnel; abdication on five occasions of the judge's responsibility to ensure the rights of criminal defendants; five instances of abuse of the contempt power; three cases of the judge's personal involvement and failure to remain objective in matters before him; and two instances of abuse of the power to make fee orders. (Kloepfer v. Commission on Judicial Performance (1989) 49 Cal. 3d 826 [264 Cal. Rptr. 100, 782 P.2d 239].)
Petitioner's willful misconduct and prejudicial conduct, though clearly calling for severe censure, was significantly less blameworthy than the misconduct in the removal cases. His inquiries whether the CHP could "lose the paperwork" on his arrest were reprehensible, yet he took no further steps to avoid being prosecuted. (Compare this with the repeated obstruction of criminal prosecution found in Gonzales v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 33 Cal. 3d 359, 366-369, and Spruance v. Commission on Judicial Qualifications, supra, 13 Cal. 3d 778, 794, fn. 14, 798-799.) His rude and demeaning behavior toward litigants, witnesses, and counsel who appeared before him undoubtedly had adverse effects on the proper disposition of cases, particularly where it improperly curtailed testimony or the functioning of counsel. Yet petitioner did not abuse the contempt power, attempt to influence the disposition of cases through ex parte communication or investigation, or intervene in cases in which he had been disqualified. (Cf., e.g., Wenger v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 29 Cal. 3d 615, 653.) As for his too frequent appointments of two close personal friends, and the associate of one of them, as counsel for indigent defendants, [50 Cal. 3d 341] we should not assume that if clear guidelines for rotating appointments had been laid down, petitioner would not have followed them.
The testimony of the numerous attorneys and court personnel who testified on petitioner's behalf, particularly in connection with count four, indicates that he was capable of being a competent, conscientious, and fair judge. Viewed as a whole, petitioner's misconduct does not appear so continuing or pervasive as to preclude his reform. (Cf. Kloepfer v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 49 Cal. 3d 826, 866). Thus, it seems likely that our public censure of each of petitioner's misdeeds would have led him to correct and improve his judicial behavior. (See In re Rasmussen (1987) 43 Cal. 3d 536, 538 [236 Cal. Rptr. 152, 734 P.2d 988].) Accordingly, we decline to order him removed from office for willful misconduct or prejudicial conduct.
On November 17, 1987, petitioner requested that the commission consider certain exhibits, including six medical reports, at its hearing in this matter then set for December 4, 1987. He did not, however, request a hearing for the taking of additional evidence under rule 916. In objecting to the request on various grounds, the examiners pointed out that even if an evidentiary hearing were ordered, the medical reports would be excludable as hearsay under rule 909, which at that time allowed only "legal" evidence [50 Cal. 3d 342] to be received. The commission, however, adopted a resolution, concurrently with its findings, conclusions and recommendation, that the medical reports offered by petitioner, "although technically inadmissible, have nevertheless been considered by the Commission for the purposes of mitigation." Thus, the commission appears to have considered the reports as in the nature of an offer of proof and to have concluded that even if they were true they would not alter the recommendation of removal.
For the reasons stated, we order that as of the date this decision becomes final, David M. Kennick shall be removed from his office as judge of the Municipal Court for the Los Angeles Judicial District on the sole ground of [50 Cal. 3d 343] persistent failure or inability to perform his judicial duties. We also censure him for his willful misconduct in office and his conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice as determined in this opinion. He shall be permitted to practice law upon passing the Professional Responsibility Examination required of applicants seeking readmission or reinstatement to the bar. ( Gonzales v. Commission on Judicial Performance, supra, 33 Cal. 3d 359, 378.)fn. 10
FN 1. All references to rules are to the California Rules of Court unless otherwise indicated.
FN 2. On December 8, 1988, before issuing the minute order denying dismissal, the court sent petitioner a letter inquiring whether he would agree to ineligibility for judicial office and suspension from law practice if this court were to "enter an order suspending petitioner from the practice of law and dismissing the proceeding without prejudice to reinstatement should petitioner seek either judicial office or to set aside the order suspending him from the practice of law." When no assent to the conditions was forthcoming, the court filed the order denying dismissal and resolved to defer further consideration of petitioner's mootness contentions until the hearing of this matter on the merits.
FN 3. Shortly before oral argument (at which petitioner did not appear), counsel forwarded to us a copy of a letter from petitioner to the State Bar, dated December 8, 1989, stating in pertinent part as follows: "I ... hereby resign as a member of the State Bar of California and relinquish all right to practice law in the State of California and agree that in the event this resignation is accepted and I later file a petition for reinstatement, that the Supreme Court will consider in connection therewith all disciplinary matters and proceedings against me at the time this resignation is accepted, in addition to other appropriate matters. I further agree that upon filing of this resignation by the Office of the Clerk, State Bar of California, that I will remain on inactive membership of the State Bar. Because of this I shall be ineligible to practice law .... [¶] I further request that ... due to my resignation from the State Bar that the Supreme Court of the State of California dismiss the proceedings against me. ..."
FN 4. Subdivision (c) provides in pertinent part: "On recommendation of the Commission on Judicial Performance the Supreme Court may ... censure or remove a judge for action occurring not more than 6 years prior to the commencement of the judge's current term that constitutes wilful misconduct in office, persistent failure or inability to perform the judge's duties, ... or conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings the judicial office into disrepute."
FN 5. The three masters were Judges Parks Stillwell (retired), Max F. Deutz (retired), and Phillip F. Jones.
FN 6. In apparent response to the Cartwright decision, section 10, subdivision (b), of the Chiropractic Act was amended in 1978 to authorize revocation of a practitioner's license because of "a plea or verdict of guilty or a conviction following a plea of nolo contendere made to a charge of a felony or of any offense substantially related to the practice of chiropractic." (Stats. 1978, ch. 307, § 3, p. 640, approved at Gen. Elec. of Nov. 7, 1978.)
FN 7. Though the audit extended to March 1987, our finding under count eight, paragraph b, establishes that petitioner did not work at all after the beginning of 1987.
FN 8. The commission's brief in this court describes testimony of three witnesses to the effect that petitioner failed to provide adequate advance notice of some of his absences. Any such testimony is beyond the scope of the charges against petitioner and therefore must be disregarded. It should not have been referred to in the brief.
FN 9. The commission's recommendation of removal empowers this court to impose the lesser discipline of censure. (McCartney v. Commission on Judicial Qualifications (1974) 12 Cal. 3d 512 [116 Cal. Rptr. 260, 526 P.2d 268].)
FN 10. Since petitioner Kennick's retirement has already terminated his tenure in office, the effects of our directing his removal are (1) to establish his ineligibility for judicial office generally and (2) to suspend him from practicing law in California pending further order of this court, thereby laying the foundation for the conditional permission to practice granted by our order. (See Cal. Const., art. VI, § 18, subd. (d).)