attorney13 sources, dated 2026-02-26 – 2026-10-20· last searched 2026-10-28
candidate in the runoff for Los Angeles County Superior Court Office 65
Overview
Synthesized 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session from 12 sources dated 2026-02-26 to 2026-10-20. Machine-written; numbers link to the sources below.
Justin Allen Clayton, a Los Angeles County deputy public defender admitted to the bar in 2012, has run the office's Inglewood branch since 2023 10,1. He faces Anna Slotky Reitano in the Office 65 runoff; LACBA rated both, and every primary candidate in the race, Qualified 5,3. He says he has handled more than 1,000 adult cases and dozens of trials, three involving life sentences 4,1. His stated priorities are court efficiency and firm, fair deadlines 4,1. MetNews praised him but endorsed a primary rival on "gut instinct" 8; one blogger called the runoff a coin toss and picked Reitano 2. His own published words are thin: the captured campaign site holds a slogan 11.
Record
Admitted to the State Bar June 6, 2012; license active, no public discipline [S1].10
Deputy in charge of the Public Defender's Inglewood branch since 2023, still handling arraignments and hearings and training attorneys [S9, S12].4,1
Reports more than 1,000 adult and hundreds of juvenile cases, and dozens of trials including three with life sentences (his figures, as reported) [S9, S12].4,1
2024-25 office evaluation, quoted by MetNews, praised his leadership and calm but rated him overall "competent," down from "very good" [S5].8
Rated Qualified by the LACBA JEEC, April 2026 [S8].5
Stated positions
Would improve efficiency through clear calendaring, pretrial preparation and "firm but fair" deadline enforcement, and encourage settlement to cut delays while protecting each litigant's right to be heard (May and Oct. 2026) [S9, S12].4,1
Stresses clear communication across language and cultural differences, especially for unrepresented litigants (Oct. 2026) [S12].1
Quoted as wanting to add a non-prosecutor "perspective" to a bench drawn largely from prosecutors (quote unsourced) [S11].2
Praise & support
Intelligent, articulate, succinct, with ideal judicial temperament; expected to be an outstanding judge. — Metropolitan News-Enterprise8
Endorsed by 17 current or retired judges, the county Public Defender and Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. — Clayton campaign12
Leadership of a branch office plus 14 years of trial work gives a comprehensive view of the courtroom. — Justin Allen Clayton1
Criticism & concerns
Endorsed a primary rival over him, though for no stated reason beyond instinct; also noted a non-ABA-accredited law school and a lower latest office rating. — Metropolitan News-Enterprise8
Found his endorsements not strong enough to prefer him over Reitano, whose list is broader. — Daniel Faigin (cahighways.org)2
Where sources disagree
Length of public-defender service: "11.5 years" per a blog [S11]; joined two years after his 2012 admission per the LA Times [S12]; "a decade" in an earlier LA Times guide [S9].4,2,1
What we could not find
No questionnaire answers, interviews or forum transcripts; LAist's survey answers were not captured.
No court filings, briefs or named cases.
Campaign site text is a slogan only.
No campaign-finance records.
No organizational endorsements visible.
Questions to consider
What specific cases or trials best show his courtroom judgment?
Why did his latest office evaluation fall to "competent"?
How would a public-defender background shape his handling of civil or family matters?
Analysis of their legal writing and words
Written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session from 1 primary text11. An evaluative machine reading: check each point against its quoted evidence.
Coverage: One sample: the home page of Clayton's campaign website (S1, undated, about 450 characters captured), a slogan and one sentence. No questionnaire answers, interviews, debate or forum transcripts, briefs, or case filings were found. LAist's candidate survey answers were not captured.
insufficient_evidence. The sample states no legal philosophy, interpretive method, or position on any legal issue beyond a general commitment to fair and accessible courts.
In their words: The campaign describes him as "Proven in the courtroom, ready for the bench."
Articulation: Not enough evidenceConsistency: Not enough evidence
Articulation. Two sentences of campaign copy cannot show clarity, command of facts, or reasoning. No unscripted speech was available.
Consistency. A single undated sample allows no comparison across time or settings.
Positions
Court access: Courts should be fair and accessible to all residents.
“keep Los Angeles courts fair and accessible for every resident”11
Stated principles (1)
Accountability and shared responsibility
“Join a movement built on accountability, passion and shared responsibility”11
Notable rhetoric
Campaign slogan language only; no specific claims to evaluate.
Limits: Based on a tiny scripted sample. Statements he gave to the LA Times and others are reported in news guides but are not his own texts and are not analyzed here. Nothing here shows how he would rule.
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Los Angeles Times race guide (Jon Regardie, Oct. 20, 2026) for the Office 65 runoff between two former/current public defenders, both rated Qualified by LACBA. It describes Justin Allen Clayton as a Los Angeles native who passed the bar in 2012, joined the public defender's office two years later, and since 2023 has been deputy in charge of the Inglewood branch, a "working supervisor" who handles arraignments and hearings and trains attorneys. It quotes him on court efficiency, deadline enforcement, and communication across language and cultural differences, especially for unrepresented litigants.
Clayton is rated Qualified by LACBA, as is his opponent.
He has completed dozens of trials, including three with life sentences, according to his website.
He names pretrial preparation and "firm but fair enforcement of deadlines" as priorities.
He says campaigning showed him the importance of communication across language and cultural differences: "Sometimes, one additional question, or one additional statement, can make all the difference in resolving an issue."
He says branch leadership plus 14 years as a trial attorney uniquely prepared him.
Facts, claims & caveats
Clayton LACBA rating
Qualified
Reitano LACBA rating
Qualified
Clayton bar admission (per LAT)
2012
Clayton joined public defender's office
Two years after bar admission (per LAT)
Clayton current role
Deputy in charge, Inglewood branch, L.A. County Public Defender, since 2023
Clayton trials
Dozens, including three with life sentences, per his website as reported by LAT
Reitano joined public defender's office
2014
Reitano public-defender assignments
Three years juvenile court (mostly felonies); five years San Fernando Courthouse felonies
Reitano current role
Deputy county counsel, justice and safety division (assumed 2024, per LAT)
Reitano prior run
Lost a 2022 judicial race
Clayton says a priority is improving court efficiency through pretrial preparation and "firm but fair enforcement of deadlines."
Clayton says running a branch office plus 14 years as a trial attorney gives him a "comprehensive understanding" of the courtroom.
Reitano says having a brother with schizophrenia gave her "a deeper understanding" of the challenges families face and how the system can fall short.
Reitano says her experience across criminal, juvenile, civil, administrative and government law "has uniquely prepared me to serve wherever the court needs me."
Limits: A short newspaper guide based largely on the candidates' own statements and websites; it does not independently verify case counts or describe specific cases. It does not endorse.
Date stated in the document. Summary written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session. Link checked 2026-10-28.
A personal ballot-analysis blog (Daniel Faigin) covering the Office 65 runoff. It profiles Justin Clayton as an 11.5-year deputy public defender, quotes him saying he wants to add a non-prosecutor "perspective" to the bench, reprints MetNews's praise of him, and calls the race a coin toss between two good candidates before choosing his opponent, Reitano.
Calls Clayton and Reitano both good; picks Reitano.
Quotes MetNews: Clayton is "intelligent, articulate, succinct," with ideal temperament.
Notes Clayton's endorsements are mainly Democratic clubs, affinity groups and judges.
Facts, claims & caveats
LACBA ratings
Both Qualified
Clayton education (per blog)
BA criminology, Univ. of New Mexico 2006; JD Thomas Jefferson School of Law 2011
Reitano education (per blog)
JD, UC Davis; admitted 2009
Blogger's pick
Anna Slotky Reitano
Blogger Daniel Faigin calls Office 65 "really a coin toss: Both candidates are good," and concludes for Reitano, whom he also backed in the primary.
Faigin calls MetNews's criticisms of Reitano (her 2022 slate and her ballot designation) "overly pedantic."
Faigin says Reitano has a much broader set of endorsements, including newspapers and elected leaders, while Clayton has Democratic clubs, affinity groups and many judges.
Clayton is quoted (source not given): "There's been a history of the majority of prosecutors—or a type of thought—coming from the bench. I want to add a different perspective."
Limits: One blogger's personal opinion. The Clayton quote is unsourced. Some text dates from the primary and was updated later.
LAist's general-election guide to the four L.A. County Superior Court runoffs. Its Office 65 entry lists Justin Allen Clayton as a deputy public defender for the County of Los Angeles, links his campaign website (claytonforjudge2026.com), endorsement page and State Bar profile, and reports his LACBA rating as Qualified. The rest of the page is general advice on evaluating judicial candidates.
Clayton: deputy public defender, County of Los Angeles; LACBA rating Qualified.
His opponent, Anna Slotky Reitano, is also rated Qualified.
No Clayton survey answers are visible in the stored text.
Facts, claims & caveats
Office 65 candidates
Justin Allen Clayton; Anna Slotky Reitano
Clayton occupation (per LAist)
Deputy public defender, County of Los Angeles
Clayton LACBA rating
Qualified
Reitano occupation (per LAist)
Deputy county counsel, County of Los Angeles
Reitano LACBA rating
Qualified
Contests on Nov. 3 ballot
Four Superior Court offices (64, 65, 87, 131), eight candidates
Retired Judge Stuart Rice, quoted by LAist, says judicial demeanor is the most important quality: treating everyone "the same" and with respect.
Rice says candidates in these nonpartisan races "really want to get the endorsement of the Democratic Party" because L.A. is overwhelmingly Democratic.
Limits: Listing-style entry: occupation, website, State Bar link and LACBA rating only. LAist says it ran a candidate survey, but no Office 65 survey answers appear in the stored text (they may sit in collapsed page sections not captured). Endorsements are not listed; readers are pointed to campaign sites.
Los Angeles Times primary guide (May 1, 2026) to every competitive L.A. Superior Court race. Its Office 65 section profiles four Qualified-rated candidates. It says Justin Allen Clayton, a public defender licensed in 2012, has handled more than 1,000 adult and hundreds of juvenile cases, and since 2023 has been deputy in charge of the Inglewood branch; he would improve efficiency through clear calendaring and firm, fair deadlines and by encouraging settlement discussions.
Clayton describes himself as a "working supervisor" who still conducts arraignments and hearings.
He trains attorneys on case preparation, trial strategy and competency to stand trial.
Opponents in the primary were Chellei G. Jimenez, Samuel Wolloch Krause and Anna Slotky Reitano.
Facts, claims & caveats
Office 65 primary field
Clayton, Jimenez, Krause, Reitano; all rated Qualified
Clayton caseload (per LAT)
More than 1,000 adult and hundreds of juvenile cases in a decade as a public defender
Clayton license
2012
Reitano bar admission
2009
Reitano public-defender tenure
Over 10 years, per LAT
Reitano joined county counsel
May 2024
Clayton says encouraging settlement discussions and ensuring all parties are prepared would "reduce unnecessary delays while protecting each litigant's right to be heard."
Reitano says she focused on "mental health diversion and treatment to support rehabilitation in cases where the client was amenable."
Reitano says she aims to enhance "access to justice" through clear communication and consistent availability of interpreters.
Limits: Primary-season profile; caseload figures are attributed to the guide without stated sourcing. No specific cases are named.
Date stated in the document. Summary written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session. Link checked 2026-10-28.
LAist's guide to the June 2, 2026 primary for L.A. County Superior Court. In Office 65 it lists four candidates, all rated Qualified by LACBA, including Justin Allen Clayton, identified as a deputy public defender for the County of Los Angeles, with links to his website and State Bar profile.
Clayton was one of four Office 65 primary candidates.
All four, including Clayton, were rated Qualified by LACBA.
No survey response from Clayton is visible in the stored text.
Facts, claims & caveats
Office 65 primary field
Justin Allen Clayton; Chellei G. Jimenez; Samuel Wolloch Krause; Anna Slotky Reitano
LACBA ratings in Office 65 (per LAist)
All four rated Qualified
Clayton occupation
Deputy public defender, County of Los Angeles
Reitano occupation
Deputy county counsel, County of Los Angeles
Jimenez occupation
Attorney
Krause occupation
Attorney/legal author
Limits: Primary-season listing (April 2026) with occupation, website and LACBA rating only. LAist says it published candidate survey answers, but none for Office 65 appear in the stored text. Does not report the primary result.
Los Angeles County Bar Associationbar evaluationNeutral
The LA County Bar Association Judicial Elections Evaluation Committee's final 2026 report. It rates Justin Clayton "Qualified" for Office 65, the same rating given to all four primary candidates in that race. Several other 2026 candidates received Well Qualified or higher.
Justin Clayton: Qualified.
Every Office 65 candidate received the same rating.
The report gives no reasons for individual ratings.
LAist explainer (April 2026, updated July 2026) on how the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Judicial Elections Evaluation Committee rates Superior Court candidates. It does not mention Justin Allen Clayton or Office 65; it is useful only as background on what a LACBA rating (such as the "Qualified" rating other sources report for this candidate) means.
LACBA is a voluntary, private bar association, separate from the State Bar.
Candidates submit a detailed questionnaire and 50 to 75 references; committee members interview at least 25 people per candidate, then the candidate.
Ratings are individual, not comparative among candidates for the same seat.
"Qualified" requires a majority of voting members and means the candidate has the qualities to serve as a satisfactory judge.
Candidates rated Qualified or Not Qualified may appeal; reasons for ratings are not made public.
Facts, claims & caveats
Rating scale
Exceptionally Well Qualified, Well Qualified, Qualified, Not Qualified
Vote threshold for Qualified
More than 50% of committee members voting
Vote threshold for Well Qualified
More than 60%
Vote threshold for Exceptionally Well Qualified
More than 75% of members present
Committee size (this round, per LAist)
40 members
JEEC chair
Susan Schwartz
LACBA JEEC chair Susan Schwartz says negative comments from references are not accepted at face value and are checked against others present.
Schwartz says investigations are confidential so that references can be candid.
LAist notes that some past candidates have questioned whether women, people of color, or those with defense experience are evaluated fairly; Schwartz said the committee responded with implicit-bias training.
LAist cautions that the ratings are the opinion of a private, volunteer membership group unaffiliated with the State Bar.
Limits: Explains the rating process in general; it does not name or rate the Office 65 candidates. Reasons behind any individual rating are confidential and not disclosed here.
Metropolitan News-Enterprisethird party analysisMixed
Metropolitan News-Enterprise primary editorial on Office 65. It praises Justin Allen Clayton, deputy in charge of the public defender's Inglewood branch, as intelligent, articulate and temperamentally ideal, quotes his office evaluation praising his leadership and calm, notes his overall rating fell from "very good" to "competent," and predicts he would be an outstanding judge, but endorses Chellei Jimenez over him on "gut instinct."
Calls Clayton worthy of a judgeship.
His evaluation says he "is adept at defusing tense situations" and treats everyone with courtesy.
Notes his website then listed no endorsements.
Endorsed Jimenez, who was eliminated in the primary.
Facts, claims & caveats
MetNews primary endorsement, Office 65
Chellei G. Jimenez
Clayton 2024-25 office evaluation (per MetNews)
Overall "competent"; prior report "very good"
Clayton law school
Thomas Jefferson School of Law (not ABA-accredited, per MetNews)
Reitano 2022 run
Part of the "Defenders of Justice" slate
Reitano ballot designation
Registrar removed "Justice and Safety Division" from her requested designation
MetNews says Clayton and Jimenez are "intelligent, articulate, succinct, and possessed of ideal temperament for the bench" and each "worthy of a judgeship."
MetNews chose Jimenez over Clayton on "Gut instinct. We can't offer any better rationale."
Limits: An opinion piece from the primary; the endorsed candidate did not advance. The stored text drops some punctuation.
Date stated in the document. Summary written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session. Link checked 2026-10-28.
Home page of Justin Allen Clayton's campaign site. The stored text holds only a slogan ("Proven in the courtroom, ready for the bench.") and one sentence about keeping Los Angeles courts "fair and accessible for every resident."
Slogan stresses courtroom experience.
No biography, priorities or case history in the captured text.
Facts, claims & caveats
Slogan
Proven in the courtroom, ready for the bench.
The campaign asks voters to join "a movement built on accountability, passion and shared responsibility to keep Los Angeles courts fair and accessible for every resident."
Limits: Only about 450 characters were captured; other pages or script-rendered content may hold more.
Summary written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session. Link checked 2026-10-28.
Clayton campaign endorsement list: 17 current or retired judges and a commissioner, plus his office's head (Public Defender Ricardo D. García), Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, several local council members, deputy public defenders and two listed prosecutors. Titles are for identification only. An "Organizations" heading appears with no names under it in the stored text.
Strong showing among sitting judges.
Endorsed by the county Public Defender and Supervisor Horvath.
No organizational endorsements visible.
Facts, claims & caveats
Judicial endorsers
17 current or retired judges/commissioners, including Judges Mark S. Arnold, Lowynn Young, Altus Hudson, Allen J. Webster (ret.)
Public officials
L.A. County Public Defender Ricardo D. García; Supervisor Lindsey Horvath; Gardena Council Member Wanda Love; Inglewood Council Member Alex Padilla; Carson District 1 Dr. Jawane Hilton
Prosecutors
DA Shiraz Khalid; DA Tim Richardson (titles as listed)
Limits: Self-reported by the campaign and undated; organization names may not have been captured.
Summary written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session. Link checked 2026-10-28.
MetNews reference chart of 2026 L.A. Superior Court candidates listing ballot designation, law school and admission year. It lists Clayton: Thomas Jefferson, 2012; ballot designation Deputy Public Defender, Los Angeles County. MetNews endorsed no one in the final Office 65 field.
Clayton: Thomas Jefferson, 2012; ballot designation Deputy Public Defender, Los Angeles County
Facts, claims & caveats
Office 65 entry
Clayton: Thomas Jefferson, 2012; ballot designation Deputy Public Defender, Los Angeles County
Limits: A one-line reference entry; the column headings are partly garbled in the stored text, and the year is presumed to be admission year.
Date stated in the document. Summary written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session. Link checked 2026-10-28.
State Bar of California profile for Justin Allen Clayton (#283282): active license, admitted June 6, 2012, no discipline or administrative actions listed, Thomas Jefferson School of Law, criminal-law practice, address at the L.A. County Public Defender.
Active, no public discipline.
Admitted 2012.
Facts, claims & caveats
License
#283282, Active
Admitted
2012-06-06
Discipline
None shown
Law school
Thomas Jefferson School of Law, San Diego
Practice area (self-reported)
Criminal Law
Address of record
Office of the Public Defender, Los Angeles
Limits: Shows only public discipline; some administrative suspensions are removed by policy.
Summary written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session. Link checked 2026-10-28.