JUDICIARY WATCH : Two Pluses

Sen. Barbara Boxer’s recommendation to President Clinton of two very well qualified Mexican-American lawyers for federal district judgeships deserves wide support.

Both men, Los Angeles Municipal Court Judge Richard Paez and Alhambra civil rights lawyer Samuel Paz, are bright, brave and judicious lawyers who have dedicated their lives to their community and their country.

Paez, a UC Berkeley Law School graduate, has shown his widely recognized capacity both in high-profile trials and many unsung defenses of the rights of the underprivileged.

Paz is a specialist in police brutality issues who sees his passionate defense of humble clients against powerful institutions like the Los Angeles Police Department as high marks in his legal career.

But aside from their legal qualifications there are other good reasons for the Senate to support Paz and Paez. President Clinton has spoken of his desire to help create a political landscape that resembles America’s astonishing diversity. This, then, is his opportunity to name the first Mexican-American federal judges to serve in Los Angeles. Right now there is only one active Mexican-American federal judge--in Texas. (In Los Angeles, there are two federal judges who are of Latino, but not Mexican, descent.)

A balanced judicial system needs more than ethnic diversity, of course. In recent years the federal bench in Los Angeles has drawn heavily from former prosecutors and business attorneys. The Paz and Paez appointments would add useful diversity in terms of background and experience.