A Los Angeles County judge who threatened to shoot defendants, attorneys and others or have them shot by bailiffs for behaving badly in his courtroom has been publicly admonished by a state judicial watchdog.
Superior Court Judge Enrique Monguia engaged in a pattern of inappropriate comments from 2019 through 2024, the California Commission on Judicial Performance said in a 9-0 ruling last week.
“The commission found that Judge Monguia’s remarks about shooting people, or having people shot in the courtroom, constituted an abuse of authority, fostered an atmosphere of intimidation in the courtroom, and, even if made in jest, were undignified and discourteous,” the ruling states. “On at least one occasion, the judge baselessly blamed an adjudicated victim of domestic violence. In other instances, the judge’s comments had the potential to interfere with attorney-client relationships.”
Monguia, appointed to the bench in 2014 by Gov. Jerry Brown, also made remarks that gave the appearance of prejudgment, embroilment and bias based on gender and ethnicity, according to the commission.
Los Angeles Superior Court officials declined to comment specifically on the admonishment.
“Although disciplinary matters are confidential, court leadership reaffirms its conviction that judicial officers must uphold the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary by administering justice fairly and exemplifying the highest standards of conduct — both on and off the bench,” the court said in a statement.
In 2022, Monguia presided over a preliminary hearing for a defendant charged with assaulting a security guard. During cross-examination, a defense attorney played a surveillance video of the encounter and later made a motion to reduce the felony charge to a misdemeanor, arguing the footage supported a self-defense claim.
Monguia, in announcing his ruling on the motion, expressed his opinion that the video did not show self-defense, stating, “If it were me, I would have shot him (the defendant), but that’s me,” the commission said.
Monguia also chastised two public defenders in 2023 for speaking too loudly while he was on the record in another matter.
“Judge Monguia said words to the effect of: if counsel did not lower their voices, he would authorize his bailiff to use physical force, not for the bailiff to shoot counsel, but so Judge Monguia could shoot counsel himself,” the commission stated. “Judge Monguia’s voice was loud enough that the attorneys, parties, and others present in the courtroom could hear his remarks.”
Also in 2023, retired Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephen Marcus, who was wearing a business suit, entered Monguia’s courtroom and approached a judicial assistant to use the private entrance reserved for court staff. The judicial assistant did not recognize Marcus and denied him entrance to the staff hallway.
From the bench, Monguia stated that Marcus was lucky the bailiff was not there; otherwise, he would have ordered her to shoot Marcus, the commission said.
Additionally, while presiding over jury selection in 2019, Monguia “joked” that his bailiff was “authorized to shoot” anyone who crossed between the counsel table and the judicial bench, according to the commission.
The commission found that Monguia’s litany of inappropriate comments was not limited to threats of violence and also included remarks that gave the impression of prejudgment and bias.
In 2019, during an off-the-record pretrial conference, Monguia described a pregnant defendant as a “meth psycho bitch” who was a drug addict, adding that she was going to have a “meth baby” who would be supported by his taxes, the commission said.
In another pretrial conference, Monguia made disparaging off-the-record remarks about a public defender’s legal strategy of calling a particular witness to testify, stating the prosecution would use the testimony to its advantage, according to the commission.
The commission said Monguia told the public defender: “You’re going to lose, and when your client goes down, I’m going to max her out.”
Monguia acknowledged his conduct was inappropriate. “Judge Monguia expressed regret and remorse for his actions and said that he had taken steps to address unconscious bias and other matters that contributed to his misconduct,” the commission said.
Monguia’s admonishment is the latest controversy involving Los Angeles Superior Court judges.
In February, the commission publicly reprimanded Judge Daviann L. Mitchell for repeatedly entering the private chambers of other jurists after hours to rifle through their confidential papers and try to access their personal computers.
In April, 17 attorneys signed onto a motion to disqualify Judge Mary Ann Murphy from a child sex abuse trial, citing alleged favoritism in the presence of jurors, racial bias, and a lengthy history of abusive behavior.
Additionally, in July, the commission publicly admonished Judge James A. Kaddo, who retired in 2024, for a six-year pattern of discourteous and sexist behavior toward attorneys, jurors and others who appeared in his courtroom