Presiding Judge Gets Dally Case

Superior Court Judge Robert C. Bradley will preside over the murder trial of Michael Dally as a result of his colleague’s pending bone marrow transplant.

Judge Frederick A. Jones made the announcement during a court hearing Monday, a week after telling lawyers in the case that he would not be able to handle the high-profile case.

Jones was diagnosed with leukemia in 1994. He said his health deteriorated during the lengthy trial of Dally’s co-defendant, Diana Haun, forcing him to schedule a bone marrow transplant at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center for next month.

Bradley, 56, is finishing a two-year term as the presiding judge of the Ventura County Superior Court.

The position requires juggling the assignments of other judges while still hearing cases.

Jones told lawyers in the Dally trial Monday afternoon that he plans to take up as many pretrial motions as possible during the next month to ease the burden on Bradley.

Attorneys are scheduled to argue about 15 motions before Jones on Monday.

In an interview last week, Jones said he does not expect the switch in judges to create a problem for the trial.

Jones has been handling the Dally-Haun matter since last year. He ordered separate trials last spring.

A former prosecutor and private attorney, Bradley was appointed to the Superior Court in 1984 by Gov. George Deukmejian. He was elected to the bench in 1986 and 1992.

In his 14 years on the bench, Bradley has presided over everything from murder trials to divorce proceedings. His role as presiding judge will be filled by Superior Court Judge Charles W. Campbell.