Karl Jaeger for L.A. Superior Court

Voters will be asked to decide one county judicial race on Nov. 5. Judge Karl W. Jaeger is the more qualified candidate for the seat on the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Jaeger, a Los Angeles Municipal Court judge, faces one opponent for this open seat, Pat Murphy, whom local bar leaders rate as unqualified for elevation from his post on the Citrus Municipal Court.

Jaeger, by contrast, has earned a reputation as a solid jurist with deep experience. Appointed to the Municipal Court in 1987 by then-Gov. George Deukmejian, Jaeger has presided over the full range of business that comes before the municipal bench. In 1991, he was elected presiding judge of the court, the largest of its kind in the nation. Before becoming a judge, Jaeger practiced law here. He has earned the highest rating from the Los Angeles County Bar Assn.: “well qualified.”

Murphy, on the other hand, was not only rated “not qualified” in this contest but received the same rating in 1992 when he ran for the seat on the Citrus Municipal Court that he now holds. That is reason enough to support his opponent.

The Times endorses Karl Jaeger for the Los Angeles Superior Court.