Three solid picks for Superior Court

Endorsement

Sean Coen, Andrea Thompson and Eric Harmon get The Times' endorsement for open seats on the court.

April 22, 2012

Shannon Knight is also a deputy district attorney, and a good one. She is ready to be a judge right now, and we would not hesitate to endorse her if her opponent was also not of such high caliber. Voters who opt for Thompson, as we do, would be fortunate to also have Knight on the bench, either through a gubernatorial appointment or in a vote two years from now, if Knight does not prevail in this race. Deputy City Atty. Matt Schonbrun also has potential, but he may be rushing things just a bit. Candidates must have 10 years of experience as licensed California attorneys before taking the bench, and Schonbrun won't notch his decade until the day after the election.

Office 114: Eric Harmon

In a contest between two civil practitioners and yet another deputy district attorney, voters might be inclined to go with one of the civil lawyers. And the court is in desperate need of experienced generalists. Yet it's Harmon, the criminal prosecutor, who is the best candidate in this race because he is the one with the right demeanor, skills and experience for the job.

Berj Parseghian brings a varied background as an environmental lawyer who has represented both plaintiffs and defendants, but although he is an experienced lawyer, and by most accounts a good one, he would be little more than a novice in a courtroom. He has logged some hours as a volunteer judge presiding over traffic cases, and it's a start, but he's not ready. Ben Brees has a lot of the life experience that it's good to see in judges, having been a truck driver and a bus driver, having run small businesses and having held down a nuts-and-bolts law practice. But there is nothing in his background or presentation that indicates he is fit to run a courtroom.

Here is a summary of The Times' judicial recommendations:

Office 3: Sean Coen

Office 10: Sanjay Kumar

Office 38: Lynn D. Olson

Office 65: Andrea Thompson

Office 78: James Otto

Office 114: Eric Harmon

JUNE 5 PRIMARY: Find all recommendations by The Times' editorial board

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