Judge Lance Ito Presides in Pasadena Women’s Political Caucus
By Terry Miller
Published: Thursday, September 24th, 2009
Renowned Judge Lance A. Ito moderated a panel of distinguished jurists: Wanda Dorgan, Dale Fischer, Judith Levey Meyer and Hilleri Grossman Merritt Wednesday evening in Pasadena's Main Library. - Photo by Terry Miller
Pasadena Women’s Political Caucus Offers Unique Look at How Judges Get their Jobs
Our political system is somewhat perplexing to some people and when we go to the voting booths how much do we really know about any candidates let alone the legal professionals hoping for a judicial seat?
Last week a Superior Court Judge – one who became a big part of everyone’s living room presiding over the famed O.J. Simpson murder trial – took charge of a quite different set of circumstances.
Renowned Judge Lance A. Ito moderated a panel of distinguished jurists: Wanda Dorgan, Dale Fischer, Judith Levey Meyer and Hilleri Grossman Merritt Wednesday evening in Pasadena’s Main Library.
The event, co-chaired by the Honorable Lara L. Larramendi and Diane Peterson-More, was a detail-oriented look into how a lawyer might start the process of becoming a judge. The panelists each shared their own experiences and discussed the numerous obstacles and challenges facing potential candidates.
In his case, Judge Ito who was appointed to the Municipal Court in 1987 by Governor George Deukmejian who and later elevated him to Superior Court judge in 1989.
Ito earned his Bachelor’s Degree with honors from the University of California, Los Angeles and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Law in 1975. He then joined the Los Angeles district attorney’s office in 1977, working in the hardcore gang unit and the organized crime and terror unit, among others.
Judge Fischer is a life member of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles and the National Association of Women Judges. - Photo by Terry Miller
As a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, Ito is regarded as an expert in the area of the use of spoken-language interpreters in courtroom proceedings and regularly teaches at the Judicial College of California and Chapman University School of Law. Ito currently resides in Pasadena with his wife Margaret “Peggy” York, the first woman to attain the rank of Deputy Chief in the Los Angeles Police Department and who recently retired as Chief of the Los Angeles County Police. Ito and his wife enjoy restoring homes and currently reside in their 3rd restored home. They have three grown children and eight grandchildren.
With great humor and obvious love of his job, Ito asked each panelist to give detailed accounts of how they approached the difficult and sometimes frustrating process.
The rather thin audience, most of whom were lawyers, law students and other legal professionals listened intently to each speaker as they described obstacles and opportunities they faced in attaining their goal.
Each one of the panelists conveyed the importance of knowing influential people in the Governor’s office in the process of applying for judicial posts. Getting one’s foot in the right door is half the battle, according to at least one judge.
“It certainly helps to have the right connections” Wanda R. Dorgan pointed out. Dorgan and the other panelists pointed out that competition is sometimes stiff and getting your name mentioned in the right circles could influence whether you get a chance at all.
Below is a more complete look at each of the panelists and judges attending the event.
Panelist Wanda R. Dorgan was one of the first to speak of her experience. Since 2003, Dorgan has worked at Sinnott, Dito, Moura & Puebla serving as the firm’s chief labor and employment counsel, litigating in the areas of employment, business and insurance matters including class actions.
Previous work included serving as West Coast Labor Counsel for four major defense divisions of Raytheon Company as their West Coast Labor and Employment Counsel representing the Company in trial, appellate, arbitration and administrative agency proceedings including successful petition to the United States Supreme Court. She also worked for Hughes Aircraft Company, Buchalter, Newmer and Southern California Edison.
Dorgan is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles and received her Juris Doctorate in 1987, graduating 8th in her class at Southwestern University Law School. Since 2006, she served as Past President and as a Member of Executive Board of Directors for Dispute Resolution Services for the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Judge Fischer is a life member of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles and the National Association of Women Judges. She has been actively involved in educating young lawyers as a faculty member for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy Trial Program. She taught courses on arraignment and bail, voir dire, calendar management, and criminal trials to California judges at the B.E. Witkin Judicial College and Continuing Judicial Studies Program. She has also edited “benchguides” for California judges prepared by the California Center for Judicial Education and Research on the subjects of bail and own-recognizance release, misdemeanor arraignments, felony arraignments and pleas, and jury management.
Judge Hilleri G. Merritt was elected to the Los Angeles Superior Court Bench on November 4, 2008. She currently sits in Department 73 of the Metropolitan Courthouse, running a misdemeanor calendar and presiding over misdemeanor jury trials. She was a Los Angeles County deputy district attorney from August of 1994 to January of 2009, when she was sworn in as a judge. In her fifteen years as a prosecutor, she spent five years in the Sex Crimes Division. She was named DA of the month in June of 2006 for two trials she successfully prosecuted; a gang murder and a dual jury gang shooting where an eight week old baby was shot in the chest. Miraculously she lived. She taught project LEAD as a deputy DA for eleven years. This curriculum was taught each school year to a Sixth grade class and dealt with peer pressure, gangs, crimes, personal responsibility and included field trips to the Museum of Tolerance and Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall. The end of each year culminated in a mock trial done by the students at the local courthouse.
Judge Merritt is a member of NWPC, as well as a former member of the League of Women Prosecutors. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA in 1990, and her Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola Law School in 1993. She is married to a defense attorney (who went to USC) and has two children, ages 10& 6.
Judith Levey Meyer: A Superior Court Judge for Los Angeles County, she currently presides over preliminary hearings in Long Beach. Judith began her career of leadership and service as a professional whitewater raft guide, Emergency Medical Technician, and professional ski patrolperson. Skilled in American Sign Language, Judith also served during law school as a clerk and interpreter for the California Center for Law and the Deaf. A San Fernando Valley native, Judge Meyer now lives in Long Beach with her husband, Steve. They are avid scuba divers, skiers and sailors. They enjoy spending evenings at home with their dog, Daisy, a black Labrador .
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