Voters have their pick of two solid candidates for Los Angeles County Superior Court Office No. 176.
Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Gloria Marin, rated “Well Qualified” by the Los Angeles County Bar Association faces Los Angeles County Deputy Public Defender Zachary Smith, rated “Qualified” by the association. Both candidates would be stellar additions to the bench, offering different life experiences and professional perspectives.
Marin, born in Nicaragua, came to this country with her family as a child as they fled the tumult of her birthplace. A beneficiary of the amnesty policy of the 1980s, Marin understands well the challenges and fears of many immigrants. She also understands the immense privilege she was granted to be permitted to stay and make something of herself here in the United States. With her birthplace still under the rule of a socialist regime, she has the perspective to really appreciate what it means to be in a free country where the rule of law still prevails and people are free to speak their minds.
She attended UC Berkeley for undergrad and received her law degree from Loyola Law School. “I worked my way through law school as an advocate for victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault,” she explained. She joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office in 2005, where she prosecuted 84 felony jury trials, most of them sexual assault and child abuse cases. Over time, she undertook various leadership positions, including as a training attorney and head of the Inglewood Juvenile Division.
“I understand the human impact of every decision a judge makes, the evidentiary and procedural pitfalls that can undermine justice, and the critical need for a judge who is both knowledgeable and temperamentally steady,” she explained. “I have the experience to educate, listen, and remain impartial even on the most emotionally charged issues and will apply the law fairly and with compassion.”
Her opponent, Zachary Smith, has devoted his professional life to public service and sticking up for the little guy. Much of this is rooted in his unique upbringing. “I was born and raised in Washington D.C., the 4th child in a middle-class multiracial family that grew to ten children, seven girls and three boys, five biological and five through foster care and adoption, seven White and three Black, eight heterosexual and two gay,” he explained. “My parents were advocates for civil rights and continually emphasized, through words and deeds, the importance of being of service to others and every person being equal and deserving of respect.”
He has channeled these lessons through his professional career.
“I began my career representing indigent children prosecuted in juvenile delinquency cases and abused and neglected children in child protective proceedings for the New York City Legal Aid Society, Juvenile Rights Division,” he explained. “While there I tried 20 bench adjudications to verdict. I have spent the last 23 years protecting the civil rights of Los Angeles County residents and the integrity of the court system as a Deputy Public Defender, rising to the highest grade of trial attorney, able to handle special circumstance death penalty eligible murder cases.”
We found particularly unjustified the lazy hits of the Metropolitan News-Enterprise on Smith. The publication seemingly went out of its way to drop anonymous personal attacks against Smith.
Fundamentally, we think whoever wins this race will be a great addition to the local justice system. Ultimately, though, since this is a binary choice, we give a slight edge to the “Well Qualified” Marin.
“These experiences do not make me tougher or softer on crime or biased one way or the other,” she explained. “They strengthen my resolve to make sure no one feels the system is stacked against them because of their background, immigration status, economic circumstances, or personal hardship.”
We endorse Gloria Marin.