Maxine Thomas--She Has Gavel and Will Travel : Municipal Court Head Is L.A. Girl Who Made It

In the months after Judge Maxine Freddie Thomas first was named to the Municipal Court bench in 1980, she liked to joke that her motto was “have gavel, will travel.”

And travel Thomas did.

The corporate-attorney-turned-judge moved from one court assignment to the next, sometimes spending as little as three weeks in a slot before moving on again. It was that quick immersion into jurisprudence that gave Thomas much of the background she plans to rely on in the upcoming year.

One of the youngest judges--and the first black woman elected--to head the sprawling Los Angeles Municipal Court system in its 60-year history, the 38-year-old Thomas is determined to leave her imprint on the workings of the court during her one-year tenure.

Former Beauty Queen

And in the doing, this one-time sorority girl and beauty queen hopes to be known as a hometown girl who made it.

“I think it’s important and it’s significant to serve as a role model for younger children who need some aspirations. . . . I think it’s important for women to know another woman has done it and (they) can do it too,” Thomas said with her trademark wide smile as she burrowed comfortably in her new executive-style chair.

Though less experienced and without the impressive credentials of some of her fellow judges, Thomas has a flintlock-firm style and a reputation for affability and high energy that has won her scores of supporters.

“That smile of hers is not just a glass smile,” said Municipal Judge Glenette Blackwell. “She is just a very warm person . . . and she engenders great loyalty.”

Her office, on the County Courthouse’s fifth floor, was bedecked with flowers from well-wishers for weeks after Thomas assumed her prestigious post last month. A parade of green plants lined the brightly lit window and a cosmetic bottle was tossed amid the paper work already piling atop her desk.

Her formal installation ceremony, symbolically staged in the midst of the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebrations, attracted some of California’s top legal officials, including California Atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp, a longtime friend.

“I’ve followed her career,” Van de Kamp said, “and I think there’s a lot to be said for youth and vigor and interest and motivation. . . . They’ll win the day nearly every time in terms of getting things done.”

In her new post, Thomas oversees the day-to-day courtroom operations and also manages long-term planning for the Municipal Court system, the nation’s largest with its 96 judges and commissioners.

She matches judges with courtrooms, assigns the lengthy and high-profile preliminary hearings that can make or break a judge’s reputation and has the responsibility of seeing that small snafus don’t fester into bigger ones.

‘Night Stalker’ Hearing

Just weeks into her new job, it already is clear Thomas intends to use her authority.

Lawyers and judges were taken by surprise last week when she transferred the high-publicity preliminary hearing of “Night Stalker” suspect Richard Ramirez out of the courtroom of Judge Candace Cooper, one of the Municipal Court’s most highly regarded magistrates.

In explaining her “tough decision,” Thomas said she ordered the move because the Ramirez hearing, expected to be lengthy, would play havoc with Cooper’s heavy courtroom calendar.

“When she called to tell me it was moved, it was not to discuss it with me,” said the admittedly disappointed Cooper. “After that, she wanted to discuss it. But I didn’t care to. . . . It was already a fait accompli. “

But it is Thomas’ reputation as a good listener that earns her the highest marks from other judges.

“I’ve always found Maxine to be accessible, to listen,” said Municipal Judge Patti Jo McKay. “She is the kind of person you can differ with, and that will not be fatal to your relationship.”

And, said Blackwell, “She’s an intelligent woman and she’s always well prepared. . . . You can reach her on the weekend, at home, at any hour, for any kind of court problem.”

An L.A. Native

The daughter of a janitor and a domestic worker, Thomas was born in the heart of South-Central Los Angeles, near 47th Street and Hooper Avenue.

Baptized at the Second Baptist Church, she is still a church-goer, still active in community groups and still a favorite among area church and political leaders.

Always close to her parents, Thomas shares a home in the Wilshire District with her widowed mother.

“She’s a triple role model,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Gilbert Lindsay, a family friend and mentor to Thomas. “She worked hard, got herself educated and the education didn’t go to her head. . . . There’s no question she will be someone young people should watch and emulate.”

Her climb to the Municipal Court’s top spot began at Cal State Los Angeles, where she was a speech major, and continued at the University of Iowa’s law school. It was her first trip away from home, and the law degree Thomas earned there in 1971 was not her only trophy. She also wore the crown of the Afro-Students’ group campus homecoming queen.

Returning to Los Angeles, she began work in 1972 in the legal division of Atlantic Richfield Co., leaving two years later for a post at Pacific Lighting Corp.

Appointed to Bench by Brown

Thomas held the Pacific Lighting job until then-Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. appointed her to the bench. After two losing campaigns to become assistant presiding judge of the court--one by six votes and the second by three--luck was with Thomas on her third try.

Last year she was elected to the court’s second spot by 10 votes. With that win, her ascension to the top spot was virtually assured.

Thomas said her top priority this year will be to improve court efficiency by better managing the criminal caseload. On her agenda is a plan to improve courtroom scheduling and a program to guarantee that courtroom space is available when criminal cases must either be heard or face dismissal because of legal time limits.

She plans to beef up arbitration and settlement programs and hopes to funnel the more easily resolved cases into night civil court.

“I’m also trying to stay open to new and additional ideas that might come along to help improve our system of justice,” Thomas said. “I certainly haven’t found a better system yet, but I think we can always use a little fine tuning.”

Once her year is over, Thomas claims to have no plans beyond returning to the Municipal Court bench. “I can’t think of anything I want to do more,” she said.

But some supporters, Van de Kamp among them, predict that the road for Thomas will not end in a Municipal courtroom.

“I’m sure she’ll be looked at at the appropriate time,” Van de Kamp said. “It’s all a question of luck and timing and political friends. . . . I think Maxine, with her youth and experience, has a great shot at a higher court.”