Tuesday, February 23, 2016
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Prosecutor Is First Candidate to Drop Out of Judgeship Race
By KENNETH OFGANG, Staff Writer
Deputy District Attorney Philip Marshall yesterday became the first candidate who had filed a declaration of intent to run for judge to pull out of the running.
“I have decided to suspend my campaign for 2016,” he said in an email to the MetNews. “I am no longer seeking to run for the position in the upcoming election.”
Marshall filed for Office No. 84, the seat being vacated by Deputy District Attorney Kathleen Diesman. His withdrawal leaves fellow deputy district attorneys Javier Perez, Susan Jung Townsend, Dennis P. Vincent, and Hubert S. Yun, plus sole practitioners Naser “Nas” Khoury and Aaron J. Weissman as potential candidates.
Multiple Seats
Each of those candidates except Yun, however, has also filed for at least one other seat. Candidates who filed multiple declarations have until March 11 to return nominating documents for the race they choose to run in.
In a social media post, Marshall elaborated on his decision to withdraw.
He said he had hoped “to avoid running against a fellow deputy district attorney or a sitting judge,” but that with only three open seats and several of his colleagues seeking them, he felt it best not to go forward.
“I have spent a tremendous amount of time, money, and effort in this endeavor, as have many of you,” he told his supporters. “I am deeply grateful to all of you who have so graciously expressed your support…..I am deeply humbled.”
He said he has applied to the governor for an appointment, adding:
“As much as I would love to be a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, I can honestly say that I have the greatest job in the world. I have the distinguished honor of serving my community by seeking to convict the guilty while protecting the innocent at the greatest prosecutorial agency in the country.”
MABA PAC Commitment
In other news, Superior Court Judge Gus Sztraicher, who faces a potential challenge from sole practitioner Michael Ribons, said he had received a $200,000 fundraising commitment from the Mexican American Bar Association’s political action committee.
Ribons filed a declaration of intent to run against Sztraicher, but also filed in Office No. 42, the seat being vacated by Judge Alan Rosenfield. Deputy District Attorney E. Matthew Aceves has also filed in that seat, as have Vincent, Weissman, and Commissioner Cynthia Zuzga.
Townsend and Deputy District Attorney Steven Schreiner have also filed for that office, but campaign consultant David Gould said they will defer to Aceves and run in other seats. Gould is representing all three of them, along with Judge Kathryn Ann Solorzano, who faces a potential challenge for her seat.
Copyright 2016, Metropolitan News Company