Metropolitan News-Enterprise
Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2000
Page 3

Prosecutor Seeking Judicial Post Says He Will Appeal 'Qualified' Rating From LACBA

A Los Angeles deputy district attorney told the MetNews yesterday he has been tentatively rated "qualified" by a Los Angeles County Bar Association panel in his bid for election to a judgeship and will appeal.

David Mintz, running for an open seat in the Los Angeles Judicial District, was traveling and unavailable for comment last week when the tentative ratings were released by the Committee on Judicial Election Evaluations.

Mintz is one of six candidates seeking the seat of Judge L.C. Nunley, who did not file for reelection to the Los Angeles Municipal Court. Because of recent court unification, the winner will be sworn in as a Los Angeles Superior Court judge when Nunley's term ends in January.

Mintz, a 15-year prosecutor who teaches trial advocacy at Pepperdine Law School, faces Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioners John Slawson and John Ladner, fellow prosecutor David Stuart, and Los Angeles attorneys Ronald Silverton and Vicki M. Roberts in the March 7 primary.

Slawson and Ladner reported that they did not receive tentative ratings, pointing to a final rating of "well qualified." Silverton said he had scheduled an appeal hearing for Thursday after tentatively being rated "not qualified," Stuart said he was tentatively rated qualified and was undecided about an appeal, and Roberts said she was appealing the tentative rating but would not say whether it was qualified or not qualified.

Mintz declined to discuss the reasons given by the committee for the tentative rating.

Appeals hearings are conducted by the full committee, which is due to release final ratings in mid-February.