Three for the Courts

Nonpartisan, low-profile judicial races usually pose problems for most voters because they rarely know the candidates, campaigns are difficult to follow and there are seldom issues in dispute.

The three Orange County judicial contests on the June 7 ballot are no exception. Fortunately, there are well-qualified candidates in all three races who possess the legal knowledge, judicial temperament, sound judgment and experience deserving of support.

In the contest for Office No. 8 in the Orange County Superior Court, incumbent Judge Robert A. Knox is a respected jurist of proven ability who deserves reelection to another six-year term. He is considered by attorneys appearing before him to be one of the top judges on the county bench. Knox was a Municipal Court judge for six years before winning election to an open seat in Superior Court in 1982. He now sits on a special panel created to help ease the backlog of civil cases.

When a judge has served well, and his opponent is less able, we think that judge deserves re-election. But in the judicial contest in the North Orange County Municipal Court District we believe that Michael A. Leversen, a private-practice attorney challenging incumbent Judge Sidney Maleck, is better qualified and deserves election. Leversen, who is a former public defender, has displayed ability, a knowledge of the law that others in legal circles think exceeds that of the incumbent, and coolness under fire in major felony and civil court cases. Despite Leversen’s being a defense attorney, his ability has earned him the endorsement of the Orange County Deputy District Attorneys’ Assn. And in an Orange County Bar Assn. poll of attorneys Leversen was rated well ahead of the incumbent.

The other judicial contest is for an open seat in the West Orange County Municipal Court District, where two well-qualified attorneys are seeking to replace Judge Kenneth M. Smith, who is retiring. Both candidates are highly regarded in legal circles and would make good judges, but we believe that Gerald L. Klein’s experience makes him the better choice.

Klein, a part-time Juvenile Court referee, has a varied background in civil and criminal law and is people-oriented, devoting time to work with the Orange County Victim Witness Program, the Coalition Against Domestic Violence and a shelter for abused children. Since 1981 he also has been sitting as a temporary judge in the West Municipal Court. Voters should make him a permanent full-time judge there.

We urge the reelection on June 7 of Superior Court Judge Robert A. Knox, and the election of Michael A. Leversen in North Municipal Court and Gerald L. Klein in West Municipal Court.