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Retired LASC Judge David Rothman, 87, Dies
Was Leading California Authority on Judicial Ethics
By a MetNews Staff Writer
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Above is a self-portrait of retired Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Rothman, who died on Tuesday, at age 87.
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Retired Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Rothman—who was the state’s preeminent authority on judicial ethics—has died, it was announced yesterday.
He was 87.
Rothman, Alzheimer’s disease, succumbed on Tuesday in Berkeley.
He was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court on July 20, 1976, by then-Gov. Jerry Brown, and was elevated by Brown to the upper trial bench on July 3, 1980. The judge supervised the Superior Court’s West District (Santa Monica).
Ethics Treatise
In 1989, he authored the first edition of “California Judicial Conduct Handbook.” His retirement from the court came in 1996, but he wrote two more editions of his treatise—published in 1999 and 2005—and contributed to the 2018 edition.
From 1963-67, Rothman was a deputy attorney general and was a sole practitioner from 1967-76, serving as director of the ACLU of Southern California from 1972-76.
His law degree is from the University of Chicago.
Zeidler Comments
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge D. Zeke Zeidler commented yesterday:
“Judge Rothman was the beacon of judicial ethics and what it means to be a judge for thousands of judges throughout California.” He noted that Rothman and then-Santa Clara Superior Court Judge Ladoris Cordell “envisioned the state’s one week New Judge Orientation (‘NJO’) program,” staged by the Judicial Council’s Center for Judicial Education and Research (“CJER”) “and he continued to participate in its updates and revisions for decades,” remarking:
“His love of the ‘essence of being a judge’ always shined bright. Whenever I teach NJO, he is always in may ear as we propose hypothetical situations to the new judges regarding ethical limitations, and I quote him saying, ‘What is your job!’ ”
Zeidler said “California Judicial Conduct Handbook” sits within arms reach of every judge in this state, and I’m sure most of them have post-its and dog-ears throughout.”
Judges College
Rothman was dean of the Judicial College in 1986-87 and lectured at it through the years.
He was known for his cartoons, sketches and portraits.
Surviving him are his wife of 61 years, Phyllis Rothman, son Steven Rothman and daughter Sharon King, three grandchildren, and his brother, John Rothman.
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