Judge Queried Over Competency Retires

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge whose competency was questioned by a state commission because he allegedly suffered from a degenerative brain disease has retired, officials said Friday.

A hearing on Judge Rodney E. Nelson’s competence was scheduled for Monday by the Commission on Judicial Performance, an independent state agency charged with investigating complaints of judicial incapacity and misconduct. The commission was informed Friday that Nelson had retired and resigned his office effective March 20, said the commission’s chief counsel, Victoria Henley.

“There is no reason to go forward to determine if he’s incapacitated and whether [the disease] is permanent or not,” Henley said.

A letter from Nelson’s attorney, Edward George, didn’t specify why his client decided to retire, Henley said. A phone message left for George was not returned.

The commission began formal proceedings in December to inquire about Nelson’s ability to serve on the bench. The case had remained confidential, but a notice to Nelson charged that he suffered “from a disability (degenerative brain disease) that seriously interferes with the performance of your judicial duties.”

Nelson, 71, denied the allegation in court documents. He has been on administrative leave since May, court spokesman Allan Parachini said.

Nelson was appointed to the bench in 1995 by then-Gov. Pete Wilson.

He sat as a criminal courts judge in Norwalk, downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach and most recently handled civil cases. He was in private practice for 37 years before becoming a judge.