Judith Ryan to Leave Superior Court Bench : Says Family Needs Suffered Because of Rigorous Demands

Superior Court Judge Judith M. Ryan, frustrated by the demands of balancing both a family and a rigorous court schedule, has decided to leave the bench to take on two private-sector positions that she expects to give her greater scheduling flexibility.

An 8-year veteran of the county bench who was appointed by former Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr., Ryan plans to leave her position on the Superior Court’s expedited trial panel at the end of May. She plans to become a member of Judicial Arbitration & Mediation Services, a private firm that provides services for resolving disputes out of court, as well as a consultant to Corbett & Steelman, an Irvine law firm in which her brother is a partner.

“It was not an easy decision, but it was one I had to make for me and my family,” said Ryan, who has two younger children, ages 9 and 15, who are still at home, and four older ones.

‘A Constant Treadmill’

“There are days when you feel like you’re on a constant treadmill, and I’ve decided now is the time to get off that treadmill,” Ryan, 45, said Wednesday.

Her departure leaves the Superior Court with yet another vacancy, in addition to five judgeships that were created last year by the state but have yet to be filled. Four more judges are also expected to retire this year, officials said.

The openings come at a time when court officials say they are already short-staffed and are becoming increasingly overburdened by a backlog of thousands of civil disputes waiting to be heard.

The worsening situation prompted the Orange County Bar Assn. to sue the state last month, charging that its failure to bring needed judges to the county to complement the existing 54 positions has created a “failure of justice” locally.

Superior Court Judge Thomas Thrasher, now sitting on the civil jury panel, is scheduled to fill Ryan’s seat in the expedited trial program, according to Judge Richard J. Beacom, who is acting as presiding judge this week.

The expedited panel, a pilot program created by the state last year, won high marks from a state study for its “remarkable” success in speeding civil cases through the courts.

‘Sad to See Her Go’

Beacom said of Ryan: “She’s been terrific here, and we’re really sad to see her go. She’s an extremely hard worker--one of the first here in the morning and one of the last to leave at night. She’s been very efficient on our expedited panel, and she’s going to be sorely missed.”

Ryan said she has greatly enjoyed her time on the bench, pointing in particular to a case she tried involving the Irvine Co.’s disputed sale of three islands in Upper Newport Bay. She called it a “one-in-a-million” opportunity for a judge to decide cutting-edge issues. She upheld the 1975 land sale.

But at the same time, Ryan said, the demands of her judicial position meant increasingly less flexibility in her home life and greater “isolation” at work.

Her new positions at the private arbitration service and Corbett & Steelman will give her new leeway to spend more time with her children, perhaps take French classes, take a planned family trip to Ireland in August and do other things for which she could not find time, she said.

Not ‘a Step Backwards’

She said she hopes that her resignation “won’t be perceived as a step backwards for career women. I’m just glad I had the freedom and the position to choose what was best for me, because I know too many women don’t have that choice.”

John K. Trotter Jr., former presiding justice at the 4th District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana and a top official at the arbitration and mediation service, said Ryan’s expertise in business law will make her a good spokeswoman for the firm in that field.

“We were thrilled when she contacted us (a few weeks ago) about perhaps working here,” he said.

She will join about 90 other former justices statewide who have joined the arbitration service in the last decade.