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Judge Wasserman to Retire From Superior Court
She Will Leave the Bench Next Week After 39 Years as a Judicial Officer
By a MetNews Staff Writer
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FUMIKO WASSERMAN Superior Court judge
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March 7 will be the last day on the bench for Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Fumiko Hachiya Wasserman, a trailblazing jurist.
Yesterday marked 39 years since she became a judicial officer.
Wasserman was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court by Gov. George Deukmejian on Feb. 25, 1986, and shifted by him to South Bay Municipal Court on Oct. 22, 1987. She served as presiding judge of that court in 1988-89—and was the first female to hold that position.
Deukmejian (now deceased) elevated her to her present post on Aug. 9, 1989.
After using earned vacation days, she will officially retire on April 17, at the age of 84.
“After I leave the bench, I will take some time to travel and enjoy my grandchildren, but I do not really see myself slowing down, just changing lanes,” she told the MetNews, adding:
“Mentoring and teaching have always been important to me, and I will continue to work with law academies, teen courts, and the California Lawyers Foundation’s California Legal Pathways Collaborative. Professionally, I am going to give due consideration to all my options after my work here is done.”
Wasserman’s Background
Her background includes earning a law degree from Loyola in 1979, working for two years as a Los Angeles deputy city attorney in 1979 and 1980, serving as a clerk to then-U.S. District Court Judge Terry J. Hatter of the Central District of California (now retired) in 1980-81, and entering the private sector, as an associate at the law firm of Adams, Duque, and Hazeltine in 1981-82.
A colleague of hers at the law firm was Holly Fujie, now a Superior Court colleague. Recalling the days they practiced together Fujie said:
“Since law was a second career for her, she entered the profession with more self-possession and life skills than most other new lawyers.
“With these fine assets and her hard work and keen intellect, Judge Wasserman’s career success was assured, and since her early appointment to the bench she has been a tireless advocate for justice and an exemplary colleague. Judge Wasserman will be greatly missed by litigants, attorneys and judges alike, but we all wish her a long, healthy and happy retirement.”
In 1981, Wasserman became the first member of a minority group to be elected to an office in Torrance. She served on the Torrance Unified School District Board of Education for years, including a stint as its president.
She left Adams, Duque & Hazeltine to become an assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California—the first Asian American woman to serve in that capacity.
Judicial Career
Wasserman remained there until her appointment to the bench in 1986. Women in that period were still decidedly in the minority in the judiciary, and Wasserman recalled:
“It was a very different time. I remember attending new judge orientations where people just assumed my husband was the new judge.”
The judge related:
“Having attended UCLA at the age of 16, I was already used to having to stake my claim in a room.”
Court Service
Her assignments on the Superior Court have been varied. Wasserman reflected:
“After sitting in juvenile, criminal, civil and the appellate division, I have fond memories of every assignment. I remember the kids who got their lives straightened out. I had the privilege of presiding over complex cases with the highest caliber of attorneys.”
She added:
“I will always cherish the memories of my “judicial family” throughout the years. I have had the privilege of working with top notch court staff.
Filer’s Reflection
Kelvin D. Filer, supervising judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court’s South Central District (Compton), pointed to one particular role she played on the court, saying:
“I have known ‘Fumi’ (the only name I have called her by) since the early 2000s. I recall that she was very instrumental when we established one of the very first judicial training courses that addressed the issue of ‘implicit bias.’ Fumi was one of our original class instructors—it was called a ‘crash’ ‘Course On Fairness in the Courts.’ It started locally in Los Angeles Superior Court, but was soon adopted as a statewide educational vehicle. Fumi played a vital role in making this happen.”
He noted:
“She also is currently my ‘neighbor courtroom’ and I will miss our daily chats/greetings.”
Former State Bar President Patrick M. Kelly, now a mediator/arbitrator, termed Wasserman a “fabulous jurist and a strong contributor to justice in our community.”
Off-Bench Activities
Wasserman recounted:
“Chief Justice Ronald George appointed me to the California State-Federal Judicial Council, and I was part of the exchange delegation to the Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nacion, the Supreme Court of Mexico, to discuss topics of mutual interest.
“Before that, the late Chief Justice Malcolm Lucas had appointed me to the California Commission on Judicial Performance. Sadly, I cannot share any stories from that post.”
The judge was a school teacher before going to law school. She commented:
“As a judge, I enjoyed the opportunity to continue teaching, as Chair of the governing committee for California Judicial Education and Research (“CJER”) and as an instructor of new judges. I also taught courses at Loyola Law School and political science at the University of Southern California.”
Wasserman continued:
“While I am grateful for the awards and honors I have received over the years, including the Joan Dempsey Klein Outstanding Jurist Award from California Women Lawyers and the Trailblazer award from National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, I am perhaps most proud of the mentoring opportunities I have had. I see so many judges on the bench who I have mentored and who are mentoring others, and I am very proud of our judiciary.”
The judge’s husband, Ronald T. Wasserman, and their son Gavin Hachiya Wasserman are in law practice together in the Torrance firm of Wasserman & Wasserman, LLP.
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