REVIEW-JOURNAL ENDORSEMENT: District Court, Department 31
Judge Joanna Kishner is running to keep her seat against Gary W. Call, a personal injury attorney, in Department 31, which handles civil matters.
Judge Kishner, a UCLA law school graduate, was first elected in 2010 and then re-elected in 2014, when she ran unopposed. While the Review-Journal has not endorsed her candidacy in the past, Judge Kishner has done an admirable job during her 10 years as a jurist and vows to not “interject any of her personal beliefs into her decisions.” She says her approach is to follow the law “fairly and ethically” and to avoid judicial activism. She earned a disappointing 61 percent retention rating in the RJ’s judicial survey, but received high marks for impartiality.
Mr. Call did not show up for an RJ-sponsored debate. We urge voters to elect Judge Joanna Kishner to another term.