Magistrate Recommended for L.A. Federal Judgeship

Sen. Dianne Feinstein has recommended Jeffrey W. Johnson, a 39-year-old federal magistrate, to become a U.S. District Court judge in Los Angeles.

If nominated by President Clinton and confirmed by the Senate, Johnson would raise to four the number of African Americans serving on the Los Angeles-based District Court bench.

About 30 judges are assigned to the district, which stretches from Orange County to San Luis Obispo County.

Johnson was appointed to the magistrate’s post last year after 10 years as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles.

He tried cases involving large-scale narcotics transactions, money laundering, police corruption, tax evasion and violent crimes. He was serving as deputy chief of the narcotics section when he left the U.S. attorney’s office.

In a letter to President Clinton made public Wednesday, Feinstein (D-Calif.) said Johnson, a Yale Law School alumnus, “comes highly regarded and highly recommended by the legal community in Los Angeles.”

“It is my hope that you will forward his name to the United States Senate for confirmation in the very near future,” she wrote.

Assuming that the president approves her recommendation, which is likely, very little time remains for the Senate to act before the next administration takes office.

Congress is scheduled to return after the Labor Day holiday and stay in session for a month before adjourning until 2001.

Moreover, Clinton, a Democrat, has had a difficult time getting his judicial nominations considered by the Republican-controlled Senate.

Howard Gantman, a spokesman for Feinstein, said Wednesday that she is “hopeful for an expedited processing and a hearing and action by the Senate before we adjourn.”

If that fails, he said, Feinstein, who is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, will resubmit Johnson’s name next year.

“I’m grateful for the senator’s consideration and trust in me,” Johnson said Wednesday.