Judge Resigns on Eve of Disciplinary Hearing
A veteran Los Angeles County Superior Court judge who pleaded no contest last summer to a charge of driving under the influence of drugs has resigned on the eve of a disciplinary hearing before the Commission on Judicial Performance.
Robert B. Lopez, 57, who admitted to authorities that he smoked marijuana regularly, had been sentenced to 36 months of probation, ordered to enroll in a 90-day drug treatment program and fined $1,600.
Additional misdemeanor charges of being under the influence of cocaine and possession of marijuana were dismissed as part of a plea bargain.
Superior Court Judge Abby Soven has been assigned to handle the “fast track” caseload left by Lopez.
The Commission on Judicial Performance, which meets early next month, now must decide whether to drop its case against Lopez, as it has done in other situations in which judges have resigned.
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