Judge Denies Favoritism Toward Friend’s Clients

Addressing allegations of judicial misconduct for the first time, a retired Orange County judge on Monday admitted acting inappropriately at times but denied giving favorable treatment to defendants represented by a longtime friend.

The defense by Judge Luis A. Cardenas came at the beginning of a hearing by the state Commission on Judicial Performance, which accused the 56-year-old jurist of releasing 23 suspects over three years at the request of defense attorney Leonard Basinger or his daughter, who is also an attorney.

The hearing shed new light on what is considered one of the most serious court misconduct cases in recent years. Orange County’s former presiding judge, Theodore Millard, said that in the wake of the Cardenas allegations the court quietly investigated the actions of retired judges who sit on the bench and found no evidence of wrongdoing. The court has also tightened policies that officials said would make it difficult for retired judges to hand down questionable sentences.

Cardenas strongly denied doing anything seriously wrong.

“I treated [Basinger] like everybody else, no better, no worse,” said Cardenas, who is defending himself at the hearing.

If found guilty of the charges, Cardenas could be publicly censured and barred from sitting on assignment in Superior Court.