Monday, August 26, 2002
Page 3
Referee Marpet Removes Name From Commissioner Consideration
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Los Angeles Superior Court Referee Stephen Marpet has removed his name from consideration for a commissioner position.
Marpet was the fourth-ranked candidate on the list of contenders, following veteran child-support enforcement lawyer Nicholas Taubert, Referee Marilyn Mackel, and Deputy Public Defender Mark Zuckman.
Marpet declined to comment Friday on his withdrawal. But a source at the court, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was understood that Marpet—who has a law office in Santa Monica—did not wish to give up his private practice.
Marpet currently serves as an as-needed referee in juvenile court, hearing both delinquency and dependency cases. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Hastings College of the Law and was admitted to the State Bar in 1967.
The current list of commissioner candidates was ranked by a judicial panel last August. The rankings are not binding on the court’s judges, who elect the commissioners, but the order of election has followed the rankings precisely since the current list was released.
Balloting is currently underway for three positions that became vacant earlier this month when the governor appointed former commissioners Kelvin Filer, Thomas White, and Steven Sanora as judges. Ballots are due back by Sept. 12 and are to be counted Sept. 13.
Marpet’s withdrawal enables Referee Guillermina Byrne to move up to the fourth spot on the list. She is followed by Deputy District Attorney Roger Ito, Covina attorney and former Superior Court candidate H. Don Christian, Long Beach practitioner Stuart Rice, Woodland Hills attorney Dennis Mulcahy, Riverside Superior Court Commissioner Gretchen W. Taylor, Deputy Public Defender Lisa Brackelmanns, and Referees Brian Petraborg, Joel Wallenstein, Steven Berman, and Anthony Trendacosta.
Wallenstein is a former Antelope Municipal Court candidate.
Copyright 2002, Metropolitan News Company