What prompted me to run for office.

By P. Arnsen "Arnie" Blakely

Too few judges with experience in Superior Court trials of civil cases. I have tried more than 100 cases.

But, there are equally important matters in this race.

The County needs experienced judges with extensive, diverse backgrounds. Judges elevated from the DA's office are plenteous. Judges with extensive civil experience are in short supply. Although I worked for the DA's office, I also have worked for the past 22 years in civil trial practice.

We need judges who have worked their way through tough cases - and not only criminal cases. We need judges who have been through discovery wars; been through difficult law and motion matters; know the impact of bankruptcy cases upon pending lawsuits; have drafted enough wills and trusts to understand how they should be handled in probate court; have tried a substantial number of civil jury trials to understand problems and issues from both the plaintiff's side and the defendant's side; have enough lawsuit experience to competently serve as a settlement judge in giving an opinion of how the case ought to settle; work through a number of complex lawsuits to be effective in handling class actions, in handling multiple party cases and multiple cross action cases. I have done this.
Public respect for judges is at an all time low. Qualified candidates avoid the job. We need lawyers at the peak of their careers after they have been successful in private practice to donate their experience as judges. I am willing to make this sacrifice.
I offer strong experience. I would like to encourage other attorneys who have reached their peaks of their careers to donate it back to the judicial system. And I would like to discourage attorneys from trying to get their experience after being a judge.

Why should people vote for me:

I have a great deal of experience. I can be tough, knowledgeable and understanding because I have been there before many times as a direct lawyer participant. I will bring to the bench 26 years of criminal and civil Superior Court experience. My experience is not narrowed into criminal cases and State Bar administrative hearings. My career is not at its mid point or just beginning in civil law, . I am at the peak of my career.
Respect for the judiciary comes from years of trial experience - doing trial and appellate work. Most judges on the Superior Court are at least 59 and over and brought to the bench years and years of experience . I am 58 years on this planet.

What issues are most important to me:

Let's improve the quality of the Orange County judiciary. Let's let the public see judges making experience based decisions. It is so important in today's climate to rebuild the much needed high regard for the wisdom, perception and discernment of judicial conduct and words that can only come from a mature judge with years of trial experience. Law enforcement has held a strong grip as to which judge gets the job in Orange County. Individual rights, freedom of the individual and due process are more important. Weak judges often refuse to take an unpopular but constitutionally correct position on many issues.
A strong judge can only come from years of broad and extensive experience. Municipal and criminal experienced judges should not handle civil cases in Superior Court. We need settlement judges who have repeatedly settled and tried superior court cases over many years. We need judges who can rule immediately from years of working with these matters many times, before sitting on the bench. We need judges well seasoned by years of broad civil litigation and not merely a few years of criminal DA work. We have enough judges with criminal expertise and with far more experience than my opponent.
Don't punish civil lawyers and their parties with an inexperienced judge.
I am willing to donate back to Orange County my years of experience in all areas of the law. I am not trying to get my experience while acting as a judge. Increase the quality of our judiciary by bringing in judges with experience and not based on who they know.