On June 2, Los Angeles County voters will quietly decide who fills a key slice of the county’s Superior Court benches, choosing judges who will shape criminal, family and civil cases for years to come. The primary squeezes a lot of courtroom power into a compact election: 32 candidates are seeking 15 judgeships in L.A. County, but only 11 of those seats are actually contested. Because winners serve six-year terms and many incumbents face no opposition, even a relatively small group of voters can end up determining who is calling the shots in downtown courthouses.
What You Will Actually See on the Ballot
Not every judge in L.A. County shows up on the June ballot. According to LAist, there are 32 candidates vying for 15 seats, but just 11 of those contests are truly in play; the rest involve a single candidate and therefore do not appear as choices for voters. Under the rules, incumbents who file for reelection and draw no challenger are automatically returned to office, which is why only a slice of the Superior Court bench is in front of voters this year.
The Draper Race and Formal Charges
One of the most closely watched contests is for Office No. 2, where incumbent Judge Robert S. Draper is facing a challenge. The California Commission on Judicial Performance has brought formal proceedings against Draper, alleging willful misconduct and other failures in office, according to the commission's notice, and a public hearing has been scheduled as noted on the commission's pending-cases page. The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s candidate roster lists Deputy District Attorney Tal K. Valbuena as Draper’s challenger in Office No. 2.
Why These Low-Profile Contests Matter
Who wins on June 2 will be making calls on everything from routine traffic matters to serious homicide trials. The state constitution sets superior court judges’ terms at six years, as explained in a California Attorney General opinion citing Article VI, so whoever is elected in June will be shaping courtroom outcomes for a full term. For races that are decided in the June primary, any candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote wins outright; if no one clears that bar, the top two finishers move on to the November ballot, according to LAist.
Where to Check Your Ballot and Follow Results
Voters who want to know exactly which judicial races will appear for their address, or who want to see interactive sample ballots, can turn to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. The county’s candidate roster and the Registrar’s main elections page list who filed for which office, which names will not appear on the ballot, and where to find sample ballots and vote-center information. Those election tools are maintained by the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
