Karlin Faces Third Foe

A third challenger for the seat of Superior Court Judge Joyce A. Karlin has announced his candidacy.

Bob Henry, 43, a deputy state attorney general who has practiced law in California since 1974, filed a declaration of intent Wednesday to run against Karlin.

Henry is a resident of the San Gabriel Valley and ran for a congressional seat in 1978 and an Assembly seat two years later. Both bids were unsuccessful.

Karlin, a former federal prosecutor who was appointed to the bench last summer by Gov. Pete Wilson, has come under fire for sentencing a Korean-born grocer convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting of a black teen-ager to five years’ probation.

Critics of the sentence have launched a recall drive against Karlin in an attempt to remove her from the bench before her term ends in January.

The other challengers in the race for the six-year term are Thomasina M. Reed, a divorce and real estate lawyer who is also vice president of the Inglewood school board, and Donald Barnett, a personal injury and worker’s compensation lawyer who practices in Century City. Reed has been endorsed by the leaders of the anti-Karlin recall drive.

To remain in the race, candidates must file official nominating papers between Feb. 10 and March 6.