Only two judicial races were on Orange County voters’ ballots this primary election — including one open spot.
Robert Mestman, a senior deputy district attorney from Huntington Beach, nabbed an early lead over Ann Cho, a senior deputy district attorney from Irvine, for the open office and incumbent Judge Ami S. Sagel appears well-positioned to hold onto her spot, in the unofficial tallies of election results.
Superior court judges handle all civil cases — these can include family law, probate and juvenile cases — and all criminal cases, such as felonies, misdemeanors and infractions, like a traffic ticket. They also handle small claims cases and small claims appeals and appeals of infractions and misdemeanor cases, per the Judicial Branch of California’s guide.
A candidate can win outright in the June primary if they receive more than 50% of the vote. But if none do that, the top two vote-getters will move on to the November general election.
Superior court judges serve six-year terms, and they must have either been an attorney admitted to practice in California or have served as a judge of a court of record for at least 10 years in California, according to the Judicial Branch of California’s guide.
Up for a vote this year were positions as Judge of the Superior Court Office No. 13 and Office No. 41. The Office No. 13 spot had been open since Judge Jeffrey Ferguson vacated the seat. He received a life sentence last year for killing his wife.
“Unlike other elected officials, the judge is not representing voters,” Austen L. Parrish, dean of the UC Irvine School of Law, said in a previous interview. “The judge is meant to be protecting the rule of law.”
Office No. 13
Mestman currently has more than 53% of the vote, as of Thursday’s update of tallied ballots.
In the Register’s Voter Guide, Mestman said he’s been a prosecutor for more than 24 years and targeted public corruption as a special assistant U.S. attorney. His background also includes public safety advocacy, he said.
Mestman said his judicial philosophy is centered on four pillars: fairness and impartiality, respect for the rule of law, competence and hard work, and dignity.
Cho, meanwhile, said she has more than two decades of experience prosecuting violent criminals, sexual predators and fraudsters. She also pointed to her own experience in the foster care system and as a survivor of abuse as forming her understanding of the impacts of the justice system.
She said her judicial philosophy is grounded in fairness, impartiality, integrity and respect for the rule of law.
Office No. 41
Sagel had nearly 67% of the vote as of Thursday’s update. Charles E. Pell, a retired federal criminal prosecutor, trailed behind her.
Before becoming a family law judge, Sagel said in the Register’s Voter Guide that she worked as a civil litigator at a corporate firm, as an assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting federal crimes and as a solo practitioner working on adoptions and terminations of parental rights.
“My judicial philosophy centers around adherence to the law with compassion,” Sagel said. “Judges have the privilege and responsibility of holding the public trust and must never underestimate the importance of their role in the fair administration of the law and in the public’s overall confidence in the judicial system.”
As for Pell, he served in the U.S. Navy and worked in the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He is also a former public school teacher, he said.
“My judicial philosophy is simple: apply the law fairly, treat every person with dignity, and decide each case with an open mind and without fear or favor,” said Pell.
Staff writer Sean Emery contributed to this report.