6 New Judges Appointed in Orange County

Restoring the Orange County Superior Court to full strength, Gov. George Deukmejian on Wednesday announced the appointment of two new judges, one of them the No. 2 prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office in Southern California.

Nancy Wieben Stock, 38, a seasoned trial court lawyer based in the U.S. attorney’s office in Orange County, and Francisco F. Firmat, 39, a North Orange County Municipal Court judge, were named to the Superior Court bench, filling two vacancies created by retirements last year. Wieben Stock and Firmat may be sworn into office as early as Friday, officials said.

The governor’s office also announced the appointment of four new Orange County Municipal Court judges: bank attorney David T. McEachen, 47, of Los Alamitos; Municipal Court commissioner Richard E. Behn, 49, of Santa Ana; former Deputy Dist. Atty. Anthony J. Rackauckas, 46, of Anaheim and private insurance attorney Stephen J. Sundvold, 42, of Anaheim.

Rackauckas is the best-known of the four, having championed local efforts to help the statewide campaign to unseat former California Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird, who was turned out of office by voters in 1986. Rackauckas left the district attorney’s office in 1988 and launched a private practice with a Tustin law firm.

Wieben Stock becomes one of only five women among the county’s 59 Superior Court jurists. Her appointment was praised as an “excellent choice” by Grace Emery, past president of the Orange County Women Lawyers Assn. and an officer in a similar statewide organization. But Emery also used Wieben Stock’s appointment to condemn the governor for failing to appoint more women to the bench locally and around the state.

“Sex shouldn’t matter, but when you are so underrepresented it does, in a big way,” Emery said. “Nancy’s appointment is one of the few victories we’ve had. Frankly, to get only one appointment is extremely disappointing.”

Some judicial observers were surprised by Wieben Stock’s appointment, believing that her solid track record as an administrator and trial court lawyer in the U.S. attorney’s office made her a prime candidate to rise even further within the Justice Department. However, in recent weeks it became known that she was seeking the judicial post, and friends and legal associates say she wanted to remain close to her Fullerton home, in part, because of her husband and two young children.

Wieben Stock, a 1976 UC Davis law school graduate, was chief of the U.S. attorney’s Orange County office in Santa Ana and second in command for the agency’s seven-county Southern California territory.

“I had the highest post available, and it just seemed like the timing was right to make a career change,” Wieben Stock said. “After commuting to Los Angeles for more than 10 years, this is like coming home. I’m very gratified.”

Wieben Stock declined to comment on how her appointment may affect the ongoing trial of a Newport Beach woman accused of looting more than $16 million from a now-defunct Santa Ana thrift, North America Savings & Loan. Wieben Stock is the chief prosecutor in the case. When asked about her departure from the case, she would only say, “it’s a very delicate matter that must be sorted out.”

One of the attorneys representing Janet Faye McKinzie, accused of defrauding scores of investors in North America, said Wieben Stock’s withdrawal should not significantly affect the case.

The Cuban-born Firmat is known for his attention to detail and willingness to defend and explain decisions. Firmat, a San Juan Capistrano resident, was appointed by Deukmejian to the Municipal Court bench in 1985 after practicing law in Fullerton for eight years. Firmat, a 1976 graduate of the Western State University law school in Fullerton, was en route to San Francisco on Wednesday night and not available for comment.

Wieben Stock replaces former Superior Court Judge Betty L. Lamoreaux, while Firmat is taking the judicial seat vacated by Judge John H. Smith. Both Lamoreaux and Smith retired last year.

Wieben Stock and Firmat could be sworn into office as early as Friday and take the bench Monday, said Patrick Hearn, an assistant administrator for Orange County Superior Court.

The salary for Superior Court judges is $94,344.

Rackauckas’ appointment as a Municipal Court judge will bring the former prosecutor back into the public eye after two years as a private attorney. He worked as a deputy district attorney from 1972 to 1988, but took a year’s leave to campaign against Bird in 1982. A skilled trial attorney, Rackauckas gained a reputation for winning difficult murder cases.

Rackauckas, a Loyola University law school graduate, replaces former Municipal Judge Robert Hutson, who was named a Superior Court judge last year.

Behn, a graduate of Western State University law school, was appointed to Firmat’s post. A Municipal Court commissioner since 1983, Behn said becoming a jurist is “something I wanted for a long time. I’ve worked in this court and seen the judges in this court and always wanted to be one.”

McEachen, an attorney for Community Bank since 1979, said his appointment is more “thrilling” than his long-awaited trip to the Super Bowl game Sunday in New Orleans.

“Before I got my notice, I was pretty darn excited about the Super Bowl. But this certainly beats it,” McEachen said of his new post. “This is something I’ve always wanted.”

McEachen, a Southwestern University law graduate, took the judge’s oath of office minutes after learning of his appointment Wednesday. He will replace former Municipal Judge Kazuharu Makino, who became a Superior Court judge.

Sundvold graduated from the University of San Diego law school and has been chief attorney for Safeco Insurance Co. since 1975. He replaces the late Municipal Judge Arthur D. Guy Jr.