Judge Smith Is Elevated to Superior Court
Glendale Municipal Court Judge James D. (J.D.) Smith was elevated Wednesday to the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Gov. George Deukmejian’s office announced.
Smith, 51, a resident of La Canada Flintridge and a 24-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, was appointed to Glendale Municipal Court in April, 1982, by former Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. That appointment marked the only time an active-duty police officer was named to the bench in California.
Before receiving the judgeship in Glendale, Smith served as a court-liaison officer for the LAPD under Chief Daryl F. Gates and former Chief Ed Davis. From 1971 to 1982, he was a partner in the Los Angeles law firm of Kramer Celli & Smith. He was elected to the first La Canada Flintridge City Council, serving from 1976 to 1978.
Smith replaces retired Superior Court Judge Robert C. Nye. His annual salary will increase from $74,432 to $81,505 a year.
Smith received his bachelor of law degree from Van Norman School of Law in 1967 and his juris doctorate from Southwestern University School of Law in 1974.
He is a member of the Los Angeles County Judges Assn., the California Judges Assn., the Presiding Judges Assn. and the State Bar.
A replacement for Smith has not been named, a Deukmejian spokeswoman said.
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