Honored Judges Say Law Is a Labor of Love

After 11 years on the Ventura County bench, Superior Court Judge Barbara A. Lane savors a rich diet of complicated civil and environmental cases.

A relative newcomer to the Municipal Court, Judge David W. Long thrives on the varied menu of small claims, civil and criminal cases.

Both share a hunger for their work. And both were rewarded for it this week by their colleagues when they were named Superior Court and Municipal Court Judges of the Year.

Selected by the county’s civil and defense attorneys, as well as prosecutors, county counsel and other litigators, the award is presented annually by the Ventura County Trial Lawyers Assn.

“I was very surprised,” said Long, who was appointed to the Municipal Court bench about a year and a half ago. “To be recognized by the people I respect so much, that they chose me, is a warm fuzzy.”

Lane said she was equally surprised and touched. “It was an enormous honor,” she said.

The awards were presented Tuesday during an annual dinner ceremony recognizing Ventura County judges.

In addition to the awards presented to Lane and Long, retired Court of Appeal Justice William A. Reppy was honored for his long history of legal service to the county.

A portrait of Reppy, unveiled during the ceremony, will be hung in Courtroom 22 of the Ventura County Hall of Justice.

As for their awards, Lane and Long said that to be recognized for doing the work they love is a thrill.

“I should pay to come in here,” Lane said of her job. “It is stimulating. It is just wonderful fun.”

Lane, 47, was appointed to the Municipal Court in 1986 by then-Gov. George Deukmejian and elevated to Superior Court two years later. Her background is in civil litigation, particularly employment matters and business disputes.

Four years ago, Lane was named the county’s designated environmental law judge and has presided over some of the most controversial civil cases in recent years.

Lawsuits targeting the Ahmanson Ranch development and construction of the Todd Road Jail were assigned to her court. The upcoming case against the owners of La Conchita Ranch is also before Lane.

Each case involves complicated environmental issues and reams of paperwork, which doesn’t bother Lane in the slightest, she said.

“I guess I am a scholarly type of judge,” she said. “I think everybody cares about the environment. The environmental laws are recent and evolving. By luck or by chance I have gotten a number of the really big cases.”

Lane is looking forward to an upcoming trip to the East Coast for a two-week course in environmental law for judges and lawyers at Harvard University.

A former Marine, Judge Long is a sort of pinch-hitter on the Municipal Court, hearing everything from product liability lawsuits to wrongful termination and “three strikes” felony cases.

Appointed by Gov. Pete Wilson in October 1995, the 55-year-old was the first county commissioner to be named a judge in 20 years. His background is in medical malpractice, public utilities and auto liability law. Long graduated from Ventura College of Law in 1983.

Long and Lane are both Republicans, both live in Ventura, and are among a handful of judges who were civil attorneys instead of prosecutors.

“I’d almost pay to be able to do it,” Long said. “It is an E-ticket ride.”