Municipal Judges Seek the Ouster of Thomas

Los Angeles Municipal Court judges have been circulating petitions in a highly unusual effort to oust their controversial presiding judge, Maxine Thomas.

As many as 37 of the court’s 80 judges have already signed the petition, a judicial source said Saturday. The petition needs 41 signatures if there is to be a recall election among the jurists.

“It will be very close,” said one judge, who asked not to be identified.

If the petition is successful, the recall election meeting would be held June 25. If 41 judges then voted against Thomas, she would lose her job as presiding judge but retain her position on the bench.

Thomas, 38, the first black woman to be appointed presiding judge, has been accused by fellow jurists of using her position to enhance her current bid for election to the Superior Court, frequently neglecting her duties to pursue her campaign.

The criticism began in January, after she staged an unprecedented $2,900 installation ceremony for herself that became known around the courts as “Maxine’s Coronation.” Thomas later said she planned to donate $2,400 to establish an annual installation fund, but new complaints surfaced.

Her decision to transfer the preliminary hearing of Night Stalker suspect Richard Ramirez from a highly regarded magistrate was unpopular on the bench, and judges said she was rewarding her supporters with the meatier bench assignments while punishing others by relegating them to less appealing posts.

The judge who asked not to be named said Thomas had been calling judges who signed the petition, urging them to change their minds. He said he did not know if any of her efforts had been successful.

Thomas was not available for comment Saturday, but she has denied any impropriety, claiming the support of almost 90% of the Municipal Court judges.

She said she was the victim of a small minority “who are resisting change; people who feel we should leave things exactly where they are. . . . “The accusations are basically ill-founded because the Municipal Court is indeed running well,” she said at a news conference called in April to answer her critics. “This is a political year,” she said. “After announcing my candidacy . . . there was an attempt to find anything I’d done wrong.”

Thomas faces a tough battle in her runoff race for a Superior Court seat. She received only 32% of the vote in the primary battle among four candidates, while her November opponent, Burbank Municipal Judge Bernard Kaufman, got 37%

The Los Angeles County Bar Assn. has rated Thomas “not qualified” for the Superior Court bench, saying she lacked the “judicial ability and judgment” needed for the job. Kaufman and the other candidates in the primary were rated “qualified.” Thomas has said the evaluation was “unfair and irresponsible.”