Mr. Judge is the Chief Public Defender for the County of Los Angeles, California, with the responsibility for 40 offices with more than 700 lawyers. He is the recipient of the Loren Miller Award - John M. Langston Bar Lawyer of the Year 1998, is a former Trustee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, is a member of the L.A. Superior Court Bench/Bar Coalition, has served on the Executive Board of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, is an Executive Board Member of the Criminal Courts Bar Association, and is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Government Lawyer Membership Task Force (2003-2004 and 2005-2006).
He was appointed by the Chief Justice in 2000 to the Judicial Council of California: Collaborative Justice Courts Advisory Committee, is a member of the AB 1101 Advisory Committee, is the Vice Chairperson of the Los Angeles Drug Court Oversight Committee which oversees and coordinates the development of drug courts in L.A., is a member of the California Association of Drug Court Professionals, has drafted and successfully lobbied for the inclusion of the drug court provisions in California's Diversion Statute, has participated as a member of the faculty and as a panelist on drug court issues in numerous conferences throughout the country, has authored articles on drug treatment published by the National Institute of Justice and the Newsletter of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association and is the only defender to receive the National Leadership Award of NADCP, presented by the Secretary of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (Federal Drug Czar) on 6/5/98 in Washington D.C.
In 1999 Mr. Judge was honored by the Mexican-American Bar Association with the Justice Cruz Reynoso Award for Principled Leadership. In 1999 he became the first recipient of the Annual Diversity Award of the Los Angeles County Hispanic Managers Association. In addition he has been recognized with the Los Angeles County Bar Criminal Justice Lifetime Achievement Award in June 1999. He was presented with the John Anson Ford Award for work in Human Relations by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors in October 1999. He received the 1999 Quality and Productivity Award for his Elimination of Racial Bias Program.
Mr. Judge was feted with the California Public Defender Association's Defender Program of the Year Award on 4/28/00. He received the YWCA's Leadership and Program of the Year Award on 6/23/00. He has co-authored several articles on indigent defense to be released shortly by the Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Law School. He served until recently as the Media Chairperson of the American Council of Chief Defenders. Mr. Judge was presented with the 2000 Bureau of Justice Assistance Award for violent offender advocacy. On 6/7/01 Mr. Judge was presented with the Public Defender of the Year Award from the Century City Bar Association.
Currently Mr. Judge is involved in the effort to successfully implement Proposition 36. In that regard he serves on the Judicial Council's Prop. 36 Taskforce as well as similar committees for Los Angeles County and the California Public Defenders Association (CPDA). In May 2001, he was elected President of CPDA.
Mr. Judge was named to California's 100 Most Influential Lawyers by the California Business Journal 2001. Mr. Judge is a Board Member of the Advisory Board, California Forensic Science Institute (CFSI).
In November 2002, Mr. Judge was awarded the California State Association of Counties 2002 Host County Award Los Angeles County Bi-Cultural Program, and the California State Association of Counties 2002 Challenge Award Los Angeles County Bi-Cultural Program.
In April 2003, Mr. Judge received a Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Proclamation Recognizing His Leadership Role in the Development of the Los Angeles County Drug Court Programs (+ Vice-Chair L.A. County Drug Court Oversight Committee). In 2004 he completed service on the State Bar Committee that successfully developed the new Rule of Professional Responsibility that regulates the conduct of lawyers who learn of credible information of threats of death or grievous bodily injury.
In April 2004 Mr. Judge received the Program of the Year Award of the California Public Defenders Association for juvenile justice programs that facilitate special education advocacy, mental health treatment, developmental disability services and substance abuse treatment for children. In June 2004 Mr. Judge commenced service as the Chairperson of a ten person committee of the State Bar to establish Guidelines for Indigent Criminal Defense Providers in California. The Guidelines generated were approved by the State Bar and promulgated in January 2006. He continues to serve as the Chairperson of the California Public Defenders Association Legislative Committee.
In 2005 Mr. Judge was appointed by the State Senate to the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice.
In 2005 Mr. Judge received the Department of Defense Patriotic Employer Certificate |
