attorney26 sources, dated 2019-07-02 – 2026-10-20· last searched 2026-10-28
candidate in the runoff for Los Angeles County Superior Court Office 87
Overview
Synthesized 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session from 25 sources dated 2019-07-02 to 2026-10-20. Machine-written; numbers link to the sources below.
David DeJute is a litigator of about 35 years. He clerked for U.S. District Judge William J. Rea, was Sony Pictures' VP of litigation, and served as an assistant U.S. attorney from 2005 to 2017, with 10 trials including the defense of President Obama against "birther" suits. He is now of counsel at Michelman & Robinson and an adjunct at Pepperdine law, where he directed a wildfire disaster-relief clinic 19,1,25. LACBA rated him Qualified, a step below Bayne's Well Qualified 13,1. He finished second in the June primary with 31.30% 10. MetNews argued his "Law Professor/Attorney" ballot designation misleads because he is an adjunct, and called him "too devious to be trusted." DeJute replied that his contract title and the three-word limit forced the wording 16. The SCNG/Daily News board praised his resume but endorsed Bayne both times 11,5; columnist Jack Humphreville picked DeJute 3. In interviews he stresses fairness, guideline-bounded discretion, more court funding and rehabilitation for first-time, non-violent offenders, and calls himself the race's "sole remaining Democrat" 17,10.
Record
Admitted to the California bar June 21, 1991; active license, no public discipline shown.23
Assistant U.S. attorney 2005-2017 in the Civil Division: ten trials, and cases for the FBI and NASA, including a moon-rock title dispute. He successfully defended President Obama against eligibility suits.19,25,1
Sony Pictures Entertainment litigation VP, 1996-2005; earlier, clerk to Judge William J. Rea and an associate at two firms.19
Adjunct professor at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law; directed its Disaster Relief Clinic for Palisades and Eaton fire victims and no longer runs it.1,16
Filed declarations of intent for Superior Court seats in February 2018 but did not run (per MetNews).16
Rated Qualified by LACBA on April 22, 2026, and finished second in the June 2 primary with 516,651 votes.13,10
Stated positions
Sentencing should stay within guideline ranges, with discretion used for fairness (July 2026).10
More court funding is the key to access, backlogs and better-reasoned rulings (March and July 2026).17,10
Mental illness, addiction and homelessness are not crimes; favors rehabilitation for first-time, non-violent individuals (July 2026).10
Opposes a voluntary jury system and supports higher juror stipends (March 2026, partly paraphrased).17
Says fair process "untainted by bias" matters as much as results, citing his experience of discrimination as a gay man (2026).12,1
Praise & support
Broad, distinguished career with federal and complex-litigation experience that sets him apart. — SCNG/Daily News editorial board, CityWatch (Nick Antonicello)11,5,2
Recommended for Office 87, with no reason given. — Jack Humphreville (LA Watchdog)3
Endorsed by Democratic officials and clubs including Ted Lieu, Fiona Ma and James Hahn, by judges including David Walgren, and by primary rival Sharee Sanders Gordon. — DeJute campaign24,10
Criticism & concerns
His "Law Professor/Attorney" designation misleads voters because he is an adjunct, and a 2018 website implied he was still an AUSA after resigning. — Metropolitan News-Enterprise16
His lower bar rating, without offsetting distinctions, favors his opponent. — cahighways.org blogger, SCNG/Daily News editorial board7,5
Where sources disagree
His title: CityWatch calls him "a professor" and his ballot says law professor, while MetNews insists he is only an adjunct. The LA Times uses "adjunct professor."2,16,1
JD year: his 2019 resume says 1990, while MetNews's chart and a blog say 1991 (his bar admission year).19,18,7
What we could not find
No briefs, opinions or transcripts of his court work as an AUSA.
No debate or adversarial interview; the podcast interview has no transcript.
LACBA gives no reasons for its rating.
No campaign-finance records beyond a planned $300,000 budget (S9).
The Daily Journal story on bar ratings was blocked (HTTP 403).
Questions to consider
Is "Law Professor/Attorney" a fair description of his current work?
How much active litigation does he currently do?
How would his civil and federal background translate to a criminal-heavy Superior Court docket?
What do his own filings from his AUSA years show about his legal reasoning?
Analysis of their legal writing and words
Written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session from 3 primary texts10,17,22. An evaluative machine reading: check each point against its quoted evidence.
Coverage: Three samples. S1 is a CityWatch Q&A with his written answers (July 9, 2026), S2 a CityWatch interview write-up with short direct quotes amid paraphrase (March 9, 2026), and S3 his undated campaign homepage. No briefs, opinions, debate, or unscripted transcript were found. Only S2's quoted phrases are used from S2.
On judging, DeJute describes a rule-bound but discretionary approach: decisions follow the facts, the law and guideline ranges, with discretion and compassion within those limits (S1, S2). On criminal justice he favors rehabilitation for first-time and non-violent offenders and treats mental illness, addiction and homelessness as causes rather than crimes (S1). He ties access to justice and backlogs mainly to court funding (S1). He calls himself the race's "sole remaining Democrat" (S1). The samples show no stated interpretive method or view on precedent.
In their words: He presents himself as fair, courteous and independent, following his father's example as a judge: "I am not quick to judge. I am courteous." and "the people's servant, and not a prince." Campaign slogan: "Because values matter."
Articulation: AdequateConsistency: Adequate
Articulation. The S1 answers are clear and organized and answer each question directly, such as the sentencing answer built on guideline ranges with discretion inside them. They stay general, though. The funding answer gives no figures or mechanism, and the example offered for an "unpopular decision" is about representing a client, not a decision under law. The temperament answer rests on a personal anecdote about friends' divorce. S2's fragments are crisp but too short to judge. There is no unscripted sample.
Consistency. S2 (March) and S1 (July) agree on fairness, facts-and-law reasoning, his father as a model, and funding as the answer to access and efficiency. No contradictions appear, but the period is short and the samples are friendly interviews.
Positions
Sentencing discretion: Guideline ranges set the bounds; discretion ensures fairness within them.
“Consistency and predictability in sentencing and rulings are achieved by adhering to general principles and sentences within a range of guidelines, with a lower and upper limit.”102026-07-09
“A good judge is constrained by the requirements of the law, tempered by compassion and understanding.”102026-07-09
Court funding and access to justice: More money for courts to reduce backlogs and improve rulings.
“Improving public confidence and increasing access to justice requires a serious commitment of money.”102026-07-09
“For too long, funding for the courts has been redirected to other state needs.”102026-07-09
Efficiency vs. due process: Efficiency gains must not cost due process; judges should press parties to be diligent and avoid needless continuances.
“Preserving fairness and due process is non-negotiable, and any increase in efficiency cannot occur at the expense of fairness or due process.”102026-07-09
“Mental illness, substance abuse and homelessness are not themselves crimes, but they can contribute to criminal behaviour when the person lacks options.”102026-07-09
“judges can seek to provide rehabilitation for first time and non-violent individuals”102026-07-09
Jury system: Opposes a voluntary jury system; supports higher stipends (stipends are paraphrased).
Partisanship in a nonpartisan race: Stresses Democratic identity and endorsements while acknowledging the race is nonpartisan.
“Even though this is a non-partisan election, I am proud to have been endorsed by many Democratic clubs, prominent Democrats and the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.”102026-07-09
Stated principles (4)
Judicial independence and integrity
“Integrity matters. I will not be influenced nor swayed.”172026-03-09
Decisions grounded in facts and law, with reasoned rulings
“Fair application of the law as well as reasoned opinion will be the standard I seek to set.”172026-03-09
Respectful temperament; the office, not the person, commands respect
“the office demands respect, not me personally”102026-07-09
Zealous advocacy even when unpopular
“He deserved my zealous representation, and that's what I provided.”102026-07-09
Notable rhetoric
Party framing: he cites Democratic endorsements and calls himself "the sole remaining Democrat running for Seat 87" in a nonpartisan judicial race (S1). No source here states Bayne's party.
Answers about himself rely on personal anecdote, such as the divorcing friends who "want me to help mediate their divorce" (S1), rather than courtroom examples.
He reports others' praise of him: "I have been told that my temperament is, in fact, very \"judicial.\"" (S1).
Limits: Few samples, all from 2026 and two from one friendly columnist. No legal writing such as briefs from his AUSA years, and no adversarial questioning. S2 is mostly paraphrase. More DeJute material was collected than Bayne material, so the two analyses rest on unequal records.
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Los Angeles Times guide to the Office 87 runoff. DeJute, son of a late judge, has a 35-year career: federal clerkship, litigation firm, nearly a decade as Sony Pictures' VP of litigation, then over a decade as an assistant U.S. attorney (10 trials, including defending President Obama against "birther" suits, and cases for the FBI and NASA), and since 2017 Michelman & Robinson.
LACBA: Qualified, a notch below Bayne.
Adjunct professor at Pepperdine's Caruso School of Law; directed its disaster relief clinic for wildfire victims and says he still helps survivors pro bono.
Says experiencing discrimination as an openly gay man drives his focus on dignity and unbiased process.
Facts, claims & caveats
Career
35 years
AUSA trials
10
LACBA rating
Qualified
DeJute: "Justice requires more than achieving certain results. It requires a fair process untainted by bias."
Limits: Profile with short quotes from the candidate; no independent assessment of his record.
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 (cahighways.org) recommends DeJute's opponent, Bayne, mainly on bar rating. It summarizes DeJute's resume and quotes MetNews's criticism of his ballot designation.
DeJute: Harvard JD 1991, admitted 1991; of counsel at Michelman Robinson.
Notes many Democratic-organization endorsements and fewer judge and attorney endorsements.
Facts, claims & caveats
Bar admission
1991, #153527
The blogger: the Qualified candidate lacks enough "additional experience or special characteristics" to outrank the Well Qualified one.
Limits: Only the Office 87 section was reviewed. A single blogger's opinion.
LAist's general-election guide lists DeJute in Office 87 as a law professor/attorney rated Qualified by LACBA, with links to his website, endorsements and State Bar profile.
LACBA rating: Qualified; opponent A.J. Bayne rated Well Qualified.
Ballot designation: Law professor/attorney.
Facts, claims & caveats
LACBA rating
Qualified
Ballot designation
Law professor/attorney
Retired judge Stuart Rice, quoted generally, advises voters to weigh LACBA ratings, endorsements, experience and judicial demeanor.
Limits: Listing only. LAist says it published candidate survey answers, but none for Office 87 appear in the stored text.
Los Angeles Times primary guide profile of DeJute: litigator for 35 years, Sony Pictures VP of litigation, assistant U.S. attorney from 2005 for 11 years with 10 trials, Michelman & Robinson since 2017; priorities are upholding the rule of law and due process.
LACBA: Qualified.
Adjunct professor at Pepperdine providing free legal services to fire victims.
Facts, claims & caveats
LACBA rating
Qualified
DeJute: "I have experienced discrimination, which I abhor when directed to me or to anyone else. Every person deserves to be heard and treated with dignity and respect."
Limits: Only the Office 87 section was reviewed. Short profile.
LAist's June primary guide lists three Office 87 candidates: DeJute (Qualified, law professor/attorney), with A.J. Bayne (Well Qualified) and Sharee Sanders Gordon (Qualified).
Three-way primary field: Bayne, DeJute, Sharee Sanders Gordon (deputy city attorney).
Ratings shown are LACBA's.
Facts, claims & caveats
Primary field
Anthony (A.J.) Bayne, David DeJute, Sharee Sanders Gordon
Limits: Only the Office 87 entry was reviewed. A listing with no assessment; no Office 87 survey answers appear in the stored text.
LAist explainer on how the LA County Bar Association's Judicial Elections Evaluation Committee rates Superior Court candidates. It does not name or rate either Office 87 candidate.
Ratings: Exceptionally Well Qualified (>75% of voting members), Well Qualified (>60%), Qualified (>50%), Not Qualified.
Candidates are rated individually, not against opponents; investigations are confidential and only the rating is public.
Process: questionnaire, 50 to 75 references, at least an hour-long subcommittee interview, appeal available for the two lower ratings.
Facts, claims & caveats
Committee size (2026)
40 members, chaired by Susan Schwartz
Chair Susan Schwartz says negative reference comments are checked with others present and not accepted at face value.
LAist notes some past candidates questioned whether women, people of color and defense lawyers are evaluated fairly; Schwartz cited implicit-bias training in response.
Limits: Background on the rating system only; says nothing about this candidate. Ratings are a private group's opinion and the reasons are not published.
Los Angeles County Bar Associationbar evaluationNeutral
LACBA's committee page describes how it evaluates contested Superior Court candidates and links its full 2026 report. It does not list individual ratings in the stored text.
Candidates submit a questionnaire and 75 references; members research backgrounds, contact references, and interview participants.
Ratings are reviewed by LACBA's Board before publication.
Facts, claims & caveats
LACBA says its process is thorough and that it aims to be a reliable and unbiased source.
Limits: Process description only; no candidate-specific content.
DeJute's campaign homepage. Under the slogan "Justice that reflects Los Angeles," it cites his career: AUSA, counsel to President Obama, law teacher, wildfire legal clinic leader, Sony Pictures litigation head, and 30-plus years in practice.
Links two CityWatch interviews and a podcast episode.
Facts, claims & caveats
Slogan
Justice that Reflects Los Angeles. Because values matter.
Campaign: those experiences "have more than prepared him to serve on the Los Angeles County Superior Court."
Limits: Campaign material. It states credentials but no views on law or judging.
Colorado Boulevard's editorial board lists the Office 87 candidates with their LACBA ratings, including DeJute (Qualified, Law Professor/Attorney), and says check marks show its picks.
Facts, claims & caveats
Limits: The check marks did not survive in the stored text, so this source does not show whom the paper picked. Bayne's website lists "Colorado Blvd. Newspaper" as an endorser.
Date stated in the document. Summary written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session. Link checked 2026-10-28.
Daily News (Southern California News Group)endorsementSupports
SCNG editorial board's primary endorsement of Bayne. It praises DeJute's "great resume" and quotes him on clerking for a Reagan appointee, but endorses Bayne.
Lists DeJute's AUSA, Sony and Pepperdine disaster-clinic roles.
DeJute on Judge William J. Rea: "We agreed on nothing when it came to politics. But the judge was able to set that aside and call 'balls and strikes' as he saw them."
Limits: Editorial opinion; one short DeJute quote.
Date stated in the document. Summary written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session. Link checked 2026-10-28.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise editorial endorsing Bayne in the primary. It argues DeJute's "Law Professor/Attorney" ballot designation is misleading because he is an adjunct, and says his 2018 campaign website implied he was still an AUSA after he resigned.
Prints DeJute's reply: his contract title is Adjunct Professor of Law and Director of the Disaster Relief Clinic, and the three-word limit plus a required "Attorney" ruled out the full title.
MetNews counters that alternatives such as "Attorney/Adjunct Professor" fit, and that the designation should have been disallowed as misleading.
Notes Harvard cum laude and his role in the dismissal of the Obama eligibility suit.
Facts, claims & caveats
Ballot designation
Law Professor/Attorney
AUSA resignation
June 30, 2017
2018 filings
Declarations of intent filed Feb. 7 and Feb. 12, 2018; did not run
MetNews: "DeJute is too devious to be trusted."
MetNews: he "looks good—quite good—on paper, but not close up."
DeJute, as quoted: "Although I am not a full law professor, associate law professor or assistant law professor, I am still a law professor, and am required to discharge all of the responsibilities of one."
Limits: Editorial opinion. The 2018 website claim is MetNews's characterization; the site itself is not in our sources.
Date stated in the document. Summary written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session. Link checked 2026-10-28.
DeJute's endorsement page lists judges including David Walgren and former Mayor James Hahn, Rep. Ted Lieu, Treasurer Fiona Ma, Sen. Ben Allen, Assessor Jeffrey Prang, primary rival Sharee Sanders Gordon, and senior private litigators.
Organizations: Pomona Valley Democratic Club.
Judges: David Berger, Brian Gasdia, Steve Morgan, James Steele, David Walgren, James Hahn.
Facts, claims & caveats
Notable endorsers
Ted Lieu, Fiona Ma, Ben Allen, Jeffrey Prang, James Hahn, Sharee Sanders Gordon
Limits: Self-reported list. Other sources mention endorsements not shown here, such as the LA County Democratic Party and Rick Caruso.
Summary written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session. Link checked 2026-10-28.
CityWatch Q&A with DeJute after he finished second in the primary (31.30% to Bayne's 42.04%). He answers questions on sentencing discretion, court funding, backlogs, mental illness and homelessness, and temperament, and calls himself the sole remaining Democrat in the race.
Sentencing: consistency from guideline ranges, with discretion used for fairness within them.
Access to justice: more court funding.
Mental illness, addiction and homelessness "are not themselves crimes"; favors rehabilitation for first-time, non-violent individuals.
Endorsements cited: LA County Democratic Party, Stonewall Democratic Club, James Hahn, Rick Caruso.
Facts, claims & caveats
Primary result
DeJute 31.30% (516,651); Bayne 42.04% (694,004); Gordon 26.66% (440,156)
DeJute: "A good judge is constrained by the requirements of the law, tempered by compassion and understanding."
DeJute: "Preserving fairness and due process is non-negotiable."
DeJute says that with Gordon out, "I am the sole remaining Democrat running for Seat 87."
Limits: His own written answers, but to friendly, general questions; no follow-up. His party claim about Bayne is not verified here.
Date stated in the document. Summary written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session. Link checked 2026-10-28.
CityWatch columnist Nick Antonicello's account of a 90-minute phone interview with DeJute, built on fairness and his father's example as an Ohio judge. Mostly paraphrase with short quotes.
Opposes a voluntary jury system, which he fears would create "a professional class of jurors"; backs higher juror stipends.
Philosophy: "understanding the facts and the law"; a judge as "the people's servant, and not a prince."
Plans a campaign budget of $300,000.
Facts, claims & caveats
Campaign budget (planned)
$300,000
DeJute: "Integrity matters. I will not be influenced nor swayed."
DeJute: "Fair application of the law as well as reasoned opinion will be the standard I seek to set."
DeJute calls the jury system "strained, but not broken."
Limits: Largely the writer's paraphrase; only the quoted fragments are DeJute's words. Calls him a "former US District Attorney," an apparent error for assistant U.S. attorney.
Date stated in the document. Summary written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session. Link checked 2026-10-28.
CityWatch profile of four judicial candidates. It describes DeJute's campaign as stressing judicial independence, impartiality and litigants feeling heard, and lists endorsers including Fiona Ma, Ted Lieu, Rick Caruso and the West LA Democrats.
Says his federal and complex corporate experience distinguishes him from candidates focused on local litigation.
Facts, claims & caveats
The writer says DeJute is seeking elective office for the first time.
Limits: Paraphrase, not his words. Calls DeJute "A professor" without noting the adjunct title MetNews disputes.
Date stated in the document. Summary written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session. Link checked 2026-10-28.
Adjourned for the Day (Stein and Markus) via Apple PodcastsotherNeutral
Episode listing for the Adjourned for the Day podcast interview with DeJute. Only the description is stored, which summarizes his career and topics such as judicial philosophy.
The podcast is produced by Stein and Markus, whose attorneys appear on Bayne's endorsement list.
Facts, claims & caveats
Limits: No audio or transcript stored, so his words are unavailable.
Date stated in the document. Summary written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session. Link checked 2026-10-28.
DeJute's resume as posted by Pepperdine law school (about 2019): Harvard JD cum laude 1990, Notre Dame BA summa cum laude 1984, clerk to Judge William J. Rea, two law firms, Sony Pictures litigation VP 1996-2005, AUSA 2005-2017 (ten trials through verdict and appeal), then of counsel at Michelman & Robinson and general counsel of Dub Brothers, a "seed-to-sale" start-up.
Trial count: ten as AUSA, five civil trials at private firms, four as a Harvard Legal Aid student attorney.
Agency awards from the White House, BLM, Forest Service and NASA.
Facts, claims & caveats
AUSA tenure
2005-2017
Sony Pictures
Litigation VP 1996-2005
JD
Harvard 1990 per resume
Limits: Self-prepared and dated; may not reflect current roles. Gives the JD year as 1990; other sources say 1991.
Date stated in the document. Summary written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session. Link checked 2026-10-28.
Michelman & Robinson bio: DeJute is of counsel in class-action and complex litigation, a former AUSA in the Civil Division (including the Obama "birther" case and a NASA moon-rock title dispute), a former Sony Pictures VP, and a Pepperdine teacher supervising disaster-clinic pro bono work.
Facts, claims & caveats
Position
Of Counsel, Michelman & Robinson
Firm bio quote: success "comes from preparation, perspective, and persuasion."
Limits: Marketing bio by his firm.
Summary written 2026-10-29 in an operator-run Claude session. Link checked 2026-10-28.