Voters have their pick of two highly experienced candidates in Superior Court Office No. 14.
Irene Lee, rated “Well Qualified” by the Los Angeles County Bar Association, served as a deputy district attorney from 2008 to 2021. As she explains it, she “prosecuted complex cases, including domestic violence and child abuse matters. I saw the complicated dynamics of generational trauma, financial strain, and addiction interplay within the families I served.”
She then served for three years as deputy county counsel and currently as Special Assistant to District Attorney Nathan Hochman. “I ensure we are responsible stewards of public resources and that our workforce reflects the diverse communities we serve,” she explains of her current role.
Her opponent, Angie Christides, is rated “Qualified” by the LA County Bar Association. She has served for over two decades in the LA County District Attorney’s Office. “Roughly half of my career has been spent in trial work, where I have conducted over 70 jury trials, prosecuting serious and violent crimes, and the other half working with diversion programs and alternative sentencing, including mental health and veterans’ treatment courts,” she explained.
Both offer sensible and balanced judicial philosophies.
“I view the legal system as a partnership between all the justice partners to make sure that people trust that the system is working for them,” said Lee. “I want to make sure that the public trusts that I will be a fair and impartial arbiter who holds victimizers accountable while ensuring that the court system remains an efficient and trusted institution.”
“Throughout my career, I have fought to do what is right, including holding law enforcement accountable when necessary,” Christides said. “I believe that consistency, transparency, and integrity are essential to rebuilding public trust in the courts. As a judge, I would uphold these principles in every case, ensuring that justice is not only done, but that it is seen and felt by the community.”
Where the candidates diverge considerably is in their base of support.
A look at Irene Lee’s campaign website indeed shows a vast coalition of organizations, local newspapers, law enforcement groups, unions and civic advocacy groups. Christides’ support is skewed to the left, with backers like Burbank City Councilmember and self-described Trotskyite Konstantine Anthony, the United Here Local 11 and La Defensa, which is committed to prison abolition.
Indeed, the leftist Knock LA is backing Christides precisely because of Irene Lee’s experience as a crime victim and willingness to speak out about it. In 2020, Lee was randomly attacked by a man with a history of attacking women. The same man later attacked former Olympian Kim Glass in 2022, which prompted Lee to speak out.
“We have to restore the balance for victims in our system,” Lee said on Fox News in 2022. “There are so many law-abiding citizens in our society. Most of us follow the rules, and we trust and live by faith that they’re going to be implemented fairly and justly.” She added: “Unfortunately, right now, at this time, there’s a climate of preferential treatment for violent offenders over that of law-abiding citizens.”
That’s a sentiment many Angelenos clearly agreed with as they eventually voted out progressive District Attorney George Gascon in 2024.
While Knock LA claims to have “no confidence in her ability to be an impartial arbiter of the law,” we disagree. We think her experience as a career prosecutor who in turn had to experience what it’s like to be a victim gives her a distinctive insight. That experience informs, not controls, her perspective.
“I believe that life experiences should provide a judge with perspective and empathy, but the law alone must provide the ruling,” she said. “My commitment is to ensure that my courtroom remains a place of absolute impartiality, where the law is applied fairly and accurately to every person who comes before the court.”
With her “Well Qualified” rating, her professional and personal experiences and her sensible approach to the office in mind, we are pleased to endorse Irene Lee.