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• Author: Mark Thompson/Elizabeth Smith
• Pages: 224-243

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220Earl California Judge Reviews

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EARL, Laurie M.

Temperament/Demeanor

One of the criminal defense attorneys who was inter-

viewed about Judge Earl said, “I like her very much. She

has a great court demeanor.” A prosecutor said, “Her tem-

perament and demeanor are very professional. She is very

calm, but she definitely has the ability to take control when

needed. She treats people extremely well. She is very respect-

ful and decent to people. I think she is very well-liked by both

the defense bar and the prosecution.” An interviewee who

has appeared before her both as a prosecutor and a defense

attorney characterized her courtroom demeanor as “no non-

sense,” and said she “does not suffer fools lightly.”

Intelligence/Knowledge

Judge Earl is “very bright and very hard-working,” a

defense attorney said. Another defense attorney called

her “extremely competent.” A third defense attorney, who

accused Judge Earl of tilting decidedly in favor of the pros-

ecution, has no complaints about her legal acumen. “She is

sharp. I wouldn’t criticize her for being dimwitted or any-

thing like that,” the attorney said. Another defense attorney

who called her “extremely biased,” said, “I think she’s prob-

ably one of the smarter judges over there.” A prosecutor

added that Judge Earl “is very knowledgeable and intelligent

when it comes to criminal law. She is very bright.”

On Motions

Judge Earl “makes sure that the issue she rules upon

is very well researched and very well reasoned,” a prosecu-

tor said. A defense attorney concurred. “She delivers very

competent rulings, many times in writing, which is great for

those people who have to live with these things in appeals.

They are well reasoned, not always to my benefit, but I

can understand where she’s going and what she’s doing

with them.” A third interviewee said that in her rulings on

motions, “she is forthright in her application of the law.” One

of several criminal defense attorneys who complained that

Judge Earl, who was both a public defender and a prosecu-

tor before she was appointed to the bench, exhibits a blatant

pro-prosecution bias said that was reflected in her rulings on

matters such as bail. “When she was in the home court, she

would deny release on recognizance to misdemeanants and

people with no criminal history just because the DA said, ‘I

object.’ Or she would increase bail based on nothing, just

because the DA requested it.”

On Trial

A criminal defense attorney with trial experience before

Judge Earl said, “I have had a couple of murder trials with

her and have appeared in front of her many times. I find

her to be well-balanced. She recognizes that the defendant

is a person with certain rights, and she recognizes that the

victims also have rights. I find her to be extremely well bal-

anced and thoughtful, and she generally comes to the right

decisions.” Another defense attorney said, “I have done trials

in front of her. She is very professional and very easy to get

along with.” One prosecutor who commented on Judge Earl

said, “I would characterize her courtroom management as

extremely efficient, even fast-moving. She is pretty fast-paced

and very well organized.” Another prosecutor had a different

impression of the judge based on the way she handled the

firearms calendar, in which she was charged with deciding

whether to restore the right to possess firearms to people who

had previously been stripped of that right. “She took far more

time and gave more attention to each one of those folks who

came into court than you would expect the average judge to

take because she is really one who seems to be legitimately

concerned about people and how they are doing and mak-

ing sure that the right thing happens,” the prosecutor said.

Several criminal defense attorneys who commented on Judge

Earl insisted that she has a pronounced pro-prosecution

bias, which is reflected in her rulings and in the way she runs

her court. “I have had her in some contested hearings, but

my main experience with her has been in calendar courts,

and I am very unhappy with her,” said one. “It’s not an even

playing field when you are in front of her.” Another defense

attorney who was critical of the judge observed a case that

was tried in her court involving a defendant who killed some-

one in a drunken driving accident. The defendant, who had

no prior criminal history, immediately accepted responsibil-

ity, and there were a number of mitigating circumstances,

but “the judge sentenced her to an aggravated term and

stacked enhancements on it, and she used as her reason

for an aggravated term the fact that the defendant had had

a speeding ticket two years prior. Something like that just

takes your breath away,” said the interviewee, who insisted,

“There is no other way to look at it than that was a political

decision. There can be no other explanation for that other

than that it is in vogue to throw the book at drunken drivers.”

An interviewee who has appeared before Judge Earl both as

a prosecutor and a defense attorney could understand why

some defenders might have a less than favorable opinion of

her. “I think she is a tough judge but she certainly is fair,”

the attorney said. “She does let you argue. She just doesn’t

make things easy for the litigants. I think she prides herself

on being very prepared, and she does make you work, but

that’s completely appropriate.”

Continuances

Interviewees said Judge Earl definitely likes to keep

cases moving in her court, but is receptive to well-founded

requests for extensions of time. “If she feels the case has

been on the calendar too many times, she will say, now we

have to do a plea or set it for trial. If there is not a really good

reason for continuing it again, she will say no, this is the

plea or set date. She doesn’t do that after any set number of

times. She does it on a case-by-case basis, because with her,

every case will get discussed in chambers with the attorneys

before it gets called in the courtroom.” Another interviewee

said, “The only time she and I ever crossed swords is when

she would say, this case has been continued several times,

and I would say, no disrespect, your honor, but it’s probably

going to need to be continued a couple of more times. I don’t

have the police reports yet and the prosecution has not given

me the discovery I requested. There is further investigation

to be done. I know you want to keep these cases moving, but

on the other hand, I want to do my work. In those cases, she

has always given me enough time. But sometimes she wants

to get things moving along and keep the calendar clear.”

Settlement

Interviewees said Judge Earl is effective at settling cases.

“I think she is uniquely qualified to settle cases because

she was a former public defender and a former deputy DA,”

said an interviewee who has also worked on both sides. “So

I think she knows the strengths and weaknesses of the case

and can get to the heart of the matter quickly, because of her

experience from both sides.” A prosecutor added, “In terms

of her settlement skills, she really gives both sides an oppor-

tunity to be heard, but she is not afraid to make a call. She

will definitely inject her opinion in settlement negotiations.”

A defense attorney added, “I would say she participates, but

I would not say she twists arms on either side. I think she

assumes that if you are a big boy in court on felonies, you

know what you are doing. But she will suggest a disposition.

I have had cases where she has undercut the prosecution.

The prosecution wanted prison, and she has given local time.

I have also seen her deny bail. I think she’s a fair judge, and

she definitely participates [in settlement negotiations] in an

appropriate manner.” A fourth interviewee, commenting on

Judge Earl’s abilities as a settlement judge, said she was

assigned for a period of time to a courtroom at a county jail

facility and her main job was “trying to resolve cases before

they got sent to preliminary hearing. I would say she was

pretty effective,” the interviewee said. “I don’t know that she

would twist arms, but she would say what she thinks, and

she would, on occasion, if she thought the DA was too high,

and if she could undercut them, she would. Sometimes she

couldn’t do anything because of the charges, and judges

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Profiles Edmon221

can’t make charges go away. But she would undercut the DA

sometimes. Not all the time. Most of the time, she would just

go along with what the DA said. But I would say there are

some judges who go with the DA all the time.”

Proclivities

Most interviewees said Judge Earl is fair to both the pros-

ecution and the defense, but several insisted that, as one put

it, “She just leans all the way over to the prosecution side.

It’s like having two DAs. It’s just ridiculous.” That attorney

added, “She wasn’t much of a public defender, but she was

an avid DA and I think she stayed one. She is just terrible

in terms of bail.” Another interviewee who questioned Judge

Earl’s impartiality said, “I think she is a smart judge, but

I think she is a biased judge. A lot of times, when a judge

makes bad rulings, it’s because they don’t know the law.

In her case, I think she is very, very biased in favor of the

prosecution.” Other attorneys who were interviewed about

Judge Earl disagreed. The interviewee who has appeared

before her as a prosecutor and a defense attorney, and who

said she is “tough” but a “very fair judge,” explained, “I think

part of the issue from the defense bar side was that when

she was appointed, many defense attorneys thought that

since she was a former public defender, they were going to

get a lot more from her than we would from a judge who

used to be a prosecutor. But after practicing law for 25

years and seeing DAs and public defenders appointed to the

bench, I just don’t think there is a correlation.” Judge Earl

is “no-nonsense” but “great,” said the attorney who added, “I

really think highly of her. Some might see her as tough, but

others might see her as tough but fair, and I fall into that

category. I think very highly of her. I think she has great

integrity.” A prosecutor also dismissed the criticism offered

by some in the defense bar. “I don’t find her to be biased

in terms of being pro-prosecution because she used to be a

public defender. When she was a public defender and when

she was here in the DA’s office, I always found her to be

fair and honorable and hard-working,” the prosecutor said.

“She took her job as seriously as anyone. I have dealt with

her since she has been a judge and I think she gives a fair

hearing to both sides.” Another prosecutor said, “She was

a former public defender and a former prosecutor, so she

has a real evenhanded approach. She can see both sides of

an issue. That is my impression. I constantly hear that she

is extremely well-liked and respected by both sides of the

bar.” A criminal defense attorney who has handled “probably

100 cases in front of her” had a mixed view of Judge Earl.

“Most judges are obviously going to be less liberal than any

defense bar is going to want to see. But I consider her to be

pretty independent,” said the interviewee. “I have seen her

do things that the DA has absolutely objected to, and I have

seen her do the same thing to the defense.”

Summary

Judge Earl was both a prosecutor and a defense attor-

ney before she was appointed to the bench, and most of

the attorneys who were interviewed about her said she is

an even-handed judge who gives both sides a fair hearing.

Several defense attorneys, on the other hand, insisted that

she tilts decidedly in favor of the prosecution, and is draco-

nian on issues such as bail. No one, however, questions her

knowledge of law and case management skills. She is, by all

accounts, a smart, competent judge. (11A)

EDMON, Lee

Temperament/Demeanor

Judge Edmon “had the perfect temperament for family

law,” said a lawyer in that specialty, recalling the year and

a half she spent in the family court. “She was remarkably

patient, always pleasant—just a delight to be in front of her.”

She carried the same demeanor into her next assignment

in criminal court. “She’s incredibly patient. She treats law-

yers for both sides and the clients with a lot of decency and

respect, which is unusual down here,” said a prosecutor. All

other interviewees piled on their own words of praise for her

demeanor: “She’s a very warm person”; “gracious”; “she’s

great, excellent, polite, and respectful to attorneys”; “very

judicial”; “she has excellent judicial demeanor”; and “she is

a very nice person, conscientious, practical, considerate, and

courteous to everybody.”

Intelligence/Knowledge

Lawyers were equally effusive in their praise for Judge

Edmon’s knowledge of law. “She appears to be very smart”;

“She’s very, very smart”; “She reads all the paperwork”; “She

was always prepared”; and “She is thoughtful and incredibly

bright.” Before her stint in the family court, she had no fam-

ily law experience, “but she picked it up very quickly” and

soon “became a superstar,” family attorneys said. In criminal

court, as well, she displayed a knack for quickly getting up to

speed in a new area of law. “She appears to be very smart,”

said a prosecutor. “From what I’ve seen, she knows quite a

bit, unlike a lot of judges who come to criminal for the first

time.” She is willing to make the effort to learn what she

doesn’t know, the prosecutor added.

On Motions

In rulings on motions, lawyers said they appreciate that

Judge Edmon doesn’t shoot from the hip. “She doesn’t act

like she knows everything, but tries to learn. She doesn’t get

pressured when she doesn’t know something. She asks the

right questions and is willing to look at the cases and make a

decision. If the law is on your side, she’ll rule in your favor.”

A second attorney agreed that she will hear all sides on an

issue before making a ruling. “She would allow people to be

heard whether it was a big case or a small case,” the attorney

said. “She knows the law and is even-handed” in ruling on

motions, another attorney added.

On Trial

“She obviously had a litigation background,” said one

attorney who marveled at Judge Edmon’s skills at managing

complex trials. Others agreed. She is a “good administrator

in court”; “She is good at case management. She keeps cases

flowing”; and “I would have no reluctance in taking any case

in front of her.” Her skills at handling complex litigation were

put to the test in the divorce case involving billionaire Kirk

Kerkorian, and she did a “masterful job,” one attorney said.

Another lawyer, referring to her work on the Kerkorian case,

added: “She took a huge case and made it manageable. It

was probably one of the biggest family law cases ever down-

town and she handled it in a way that I think compliments

her ability to analyze cases.”

Continuances

Judge Edmon is “accommodating when necessary” on

continuances, one attorney said. “I know we continued some

cases in front of her easily,” said a second attorney. Another

attorney said she is receptive to reasonable requests because

“she is understanding of lawyers and the job we have to do.”

Settlement

In family court, lawyers said Judge Edmon was able to

talk to the parties and help them understand how difficult

issues needed to be resolved. “She understands that some-

times we have very difficult clients,” said one attorney who

praised Judge Edmon’s ability to “explain to clients and

help them understand why the case is going a certain way.”

Another lawyer added, “In a rancorous custody case, for

example, she saw what was going on, what was happening

with the kid, and she knew how to explain to Dad that Dad’s

own actions were at fault. She was able to help the parties

reach an agreement.” A third family lawyer said she “didn’t

get in the way” of settlement discussions between the par-

ties. In criminal court, a prosecutor said, “I haven’t seen her

really trying to encourage settlements but she’s not really in

a position to do that because the settlement is in the hands

of the D.A.”

Proclivities

Interviewees said Judge Edmon exhibits no biases. They

said she is “very fair,” “exceedingly fair,” and “even-handed.”

Another added, “She cares. She tries to do a good job.”

Summary

“Incredible” is a word that popped up regularly in inter-

views about Judge Edmon. One lawyer was “incredibly

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