Superior Court Judges Fend Off Challengers

Two Superior Court judges were weathering the first challenges to incumbents in a decade, while two Municipal Court judges were in a close race for the position vacated by retiring Superior Court Judge Everett W. Dickey.

With about 40% of votes counted, Judges Gail A. Andler and John M. Watson were leading their opponents by 3-1 ratios. In the third Superior Court race, Stephen Sundvold held a slight advantage over Caryl Anne Lee.

In the only Municipal Court contest, incumbent Ron Kreber also appeared to be headed toward victory, with a 3-1 lead over opponent Kevin Brian Jones.

“I’m excited,” Watson said. “I wanted to win by 65%. Whether I’ll reach that goal remains to be seen.”

Watson was challenged by private attorney Richard Hawkins, who had criticized Watson’s court demeanor.

Andler said she was grateful for the support of fellow judges, Orange County Bar Assn. leaders and members of the community.

“I felt good [about the race] because I had all that support, but I never took it for granted,” she said.

There hasn’t been a contested Superior Court race in Orange County since 1988, and the last time a seated judge was upset was 20 years ago.

Judicial races don’t even appear on the ballot unless there is a challenger, which typically occurs only when a seat is open. So it was unusual that two Superior Court incumbents and a Municipal Court judge were being opposed.

Watson of Office No. 9 was targeted by Hawkins, a World War II pilot who said he decided to try for the seat after a courtroom run-in with Watson two years ago.

At the time, Hawkins was ordered to pay attorney fees in a case he had misfiled in federal court.

Hawkins, who has practiced law for 40 years and is an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Assn., accused Watson of being overly harsh and intimidating and said his courtroom “is not a pleasant place to be.”

Watson, who was appointed to the Municipal Court in 1989 and elevated in 1990 to the Superior Court, spent 20 years as a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles before joining the bench.

In Office No. 1, Andler faced a challenge by attorney P. Arnsen “Arnie” Blakely, who argued that Andler lacked experience.

However, Andler, who was appointed to the Municipal Court in 1994 and elevated to the Superior Court last year, had widespread support from lawyers and was rated “highly qualified” by the county bar association.

The battle for the seat vacated by Dickey, in Office No. 21, was taken up by Municipal Court judges Sundvold and Lee.

Sundvold, a civil lawyer for 18 years, has been on the bench 8 1/2 years and has received the bar association’s highest rating. During the campaign, he said he supported greater discretion in sentencing for three-strikes cases.

Lee, a former prosecutor in the Orange County district attorney’s office, is sitting temporarily as a Superior Court judge and soon will lead a pilot project on domestic-abuse cases. She said she would be sensitive to property rights as well as civil liberties. She also pointed out that women are severely underrepresented in the county’s judicial system.

Lee had been ahead through the early results, but near midnight, Sundvold inched past her. The results were too close to call.

“I’d like to get this over with--the uncertainty part,” Sundvold said late Tuesday night. “It will be nice to get a good night’s rest.”

Incumbent Municipal Court Judge Kreber was challenged by trial attorney Kevin Brian Jones. Kreber, who was appointed to the bench in 1990 and elected presiding judge of South Court in 1992, received the county bar association’s “highly qualified” ranking as well.

In the campaign, Jones said he had wanted to be a judge since graduating from Western State University in 1988 and targeted Kreber’s seat because it was available.