6 Jurists Are Confirmed to Fill Vacancies in State Court of Appeal

In an unusually high number of appointments in so short a time, six jurists, including two Los Angeles judges, have been confirmed to the state Court of Appeal.

The appointments were made official during Commission on Judicial Appointments hearings in Los Angeles and San Francisco on Thursday and Friday.

Two Los Angeles Superior Court jurists, Laurie D. Zelon, 50, and Madeleine I. Flier, 63, will fill vacancies on the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles.

Their elevation, along with two other women, is the largest number of women confirmed at the same time to that bench in state history, state officials said.

In addition to the local appointments, Judge Joan K. Irion, 47, of the Superior Court of San Diego County, will go to the 4th Appellate District in San Diego, and associate Justice Judith McConnell, 59, was elevated to presiding justice of that court.

Merced County Superior Court Judge Betty L. Dawson, 55, has been appointed to the appellate bench in Fresno, and Judge Richard J. McAdams, 59, of the Superior Court of Santa Cruz County, has been appointed to the Court of Appeal in San Jose.

The justices will earn $159,657 yearly.

Critics of Gov. Gray Davis have accused him of trying to pack the bench before the Oct. 7 recall election.

A spokeswoman for the governor said the appointments had nothing to do with the recall.

“We’ve had months where we’ve had no judicial appointments, and we’ve had months where we’ve had large numbers of appointments,” said Amber Pasricha, a deputy press secretary for Davis. “All these people are involved in their community, have excellent credentials and all went through a rigorous interviewing process with our office.... They are the best qualified to represent California.”

Flier of Encino, a Gov. Jerry Brown appointee to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1977, became a Superior Court judge three years later. She had been a prosecutor and served in other positions in the city attorney’s office. Flier has also served on the Commission on Judicial Performance, the agency responsible for disciplining state judges.

Flier said she was excited about serving on a court that for some may represent a last opportunity to right a wrong.

“The importance of the Court of Appeal is that for many people, it’s the final word. In most cases, even if you file an appeal, the Supreme Court will only take X number of cases,” Flier said.

She added that the ascension of so many women in such a short time “is still very significant and important today.”

Before her appointment to the Superior Court in 2000 by Davis, Zelon, of Pasadena, represented large companies and government agencies for the firm of Hufstedler, Kaus & Beardsley and then Morrison & Foerster.

Zelon is a former president of the Los Angeles County Bar Assn.

McConnell of San Diego had been a superior court judge for 21 years before her appointment to the 4th appellate bench as an associate justice.

Before her ascension to the bench, she had been an attorney for the California Department of Transportation and a partner with the San Diego firm of Reed, McConnell & Sullivan. In 2001, the Judicial Council named her “Jurist of the Year.”

Before her confirmation to the appeals court, Irion presided over the family law department for the San Diego Superior Court. Irion had been a civil attorney specializing in representing clients coming before taxing agencies.

Before becoming a judge, Dawson had been a private attorney specializing in appellate work, personal injury, probate and family law cases. She has served as vice president of the board of directors of the Merced Coalition for Affordable Housing.

McAdams of Aptos began his legal career in 1969 handling personal injury cases for the firm of Jarvis, Miller & Stender.

McAdams was also an attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Santa Cruz County, handling litigation on behalf of the elderly, consumers and tenants.