A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has shut down a long-running legal challenge from the union representing county prosecutors over the District Attorney’s hiring of former public defenders, concluding that promotions and departures inside the office have largely overtaken the dispute. The ruling trims the fight down to a narrow personnel question and leaves earlier Civil Service Commission decisions in place.
Case timeline and background
The Association of Deputy District Attorneys filed its petition in October 2021, arguing that then District Attorney George Gascón sidestepped the county’s merit system by appointing several deputy public defenders directly into deputy district attorney positions without competitive exams, as reported by City News Service. Those grievances first went to the Los Angeles County Civil Service Commission and kicked off multiple rounds of hearings and appeals.
Judge Goorvitch: 'Almost entirely moot.'
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephen I. Goorvitch heard arguments on January 14, 2026, and, after taking the matter under submission, denied the union’s petition this week. He said the court’s job was largely to review the commission’s record rather than swap in its own judgment for that of an administrative body. MyNewsLA reports that the judge likened his role to an appellate-style review of the Civil Service Commission’s decision.
Goorvitch called the petition “almost entirely moot” because most of the original appellants had either been promoted into the classifications they were seeking or had left the office altogether. For the one remaining transferee, former deputy public defender John Perroni, the judge said the commission had enough evidence to find that he had the background needed to do the job of a deputy district attorney. He also turned down the union’s request for a broad order blocking future hires or transfers, citing limits on how far courts can reach into the county’s transfer authority. MyNewsLA
Union's challenge and earlier appeals
The union argued that several of Gascón’s appointments, including transfers such as Alisa Blair, Tiffiny Blacknell and Shelan Joseph, were made without the required competitive testing and skipped over deputy prosecutors who were already on promotion lists. That contention helped trigger about 11 administrative appeals when the fight began in 2021. City News Service
Judges earlier refused to freeze hiring while those internal challenges played out, and the Civil Service Commission chose to hold hearings on the appeals rather than allow an immediate court injunction, a sequence laid out in contemporaneous coverage. KFI
What the ruling means
In practical terms, the decision keeps staffing disputes parked inside the county’s civil service system instead of opening the door to a sweeping judicial ban on particular transfers or appointments. California precedent has long treated reassignments and transfers as administrative actions that courts are reluctant to enjoin. See Shoemaker v. County of Los Angeles for related authority on the limits of court intervention in transfer and reassignment decisions.
The petition targeted decisions made under then District Attorney George Gascón. The office is now led by Nathan Hochman, who was sworn in as Los Angeles County District Attorney on December 3, 2024. Los Angeles Times
For the union, the ruling narrows the scope of what courts are likely to do in future fights over hiring and promotions, reinforcing that complaints over personnel moves will primarily be handled through Civil Service Commission proceedings and administrative appeals rather than fast-track court orders. The decision effectively closes a prominent chapter in a years-long internal dispute inside the District Attorney’s office while leaving the commission’s earlier findings untouched.
