U.S. Atty. Baird Nominated for Federal Judgeship

Lourdes G. Baird, an easygoing and popular lawyer who established a reputation for fairness during her short tenure as the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, was nominated for a federal judgeship by President Bush on Thursday.

The nomination had been widely rumored for months. It will be forwarded to the U.S. Senate, where it is expected that the Judiciary Committee will confirm her appointment.

If Baird, 56, is confirmed, it will mark her return to the bench. Before her appointment as U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, she served as a judge in Los Angeles Superior and Municipal courts. She won special praise for a stint in Juvenile Court, where lawyers and judges praised her even-tempered handling of complicated cases.

Although Baird was unavailable for comment, colleagues, judges and politicians praised her, saying Baird’s experience as a prosecutor and former judge would suit her well on the federal bench. Privately, some also noted that she is a formidable politician, a fact that some believe has helped her quick rise through the judicial hierarchy.

“Lourdes Baird has been an outstanding U.S. attorney, and has served with distinction as a lawyer and jurist,” said U.S. Sen. John Seymour, who recommended to Bush that Baird be nominated for the post. “I have no doubt that she will be an outstanding member of the federal bench, and I hope that the Senate will approve her nomination swiftly.”

U.S. District Judge William D. Keller, a former U.S. attorney who hired Baird as a summer assistant in 1974 while she was a law student, called her “an extremely nice person and very smart.”

Like others familiar with her work, Keller praised her fairness. “And that, after all, is what it’s all about,” he said.

Baird even won praise from local defense lawyers. Barry Tarlow, a prominent Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer who said his relationships with prosecutors are often strained, called Baird “very bright, very capable and extremely fair.”

Baird, a conservative Democrat, came to legal work late in life. Born in Quito, Ecuador, she moved with her family to the United States as a child. She attended Catholic schools in Los Angeles and graduated from Immaculate Heart High School.

She briefly attended secretarial school before marrying William T. Baird, a businessman. They had three children, and she spent several years raising them before returning to school in 1966. She enrolled in night classes at Los Angeles City College and transferred to UCLA, where she earned her bachelor’s degree.

She went on to UCLA Law School, and passed the Bar on her first try at age 41.

Her appointments have come in quick succession in recent years, as she moved from assistant U.S. attorney to private practice and then to the municipal and state benches. In September, 1990, she replaced U.S. Atty. Robert C. Bonner, who is the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Times staff writer Henry Weinstein contributed to this report.