Election 2026 · Los Angeles County
LA County Superior Court Judge, Office 87
Anthony (A.J.) Bayne and David DeJute are the candidates for LA County Superior Court Judge, Office 87 on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
Superior court judges run the trial courts in California, where a judge, and sometimes a jury, hears testimony and other evidence and decides cases by applying the law to the facts. Each county has one superior court that handles all types of cases. Office No. 87 is one seat on the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Summary by CityHallPass, not the official text or legal advice. The official text controls: LA County's official election information.
| Who votes | Every Los Angeles County voter |
|---|---|
| Term and pay | Six-year term. A superior court judge must have been a lawyer admitted to practice in California, or a judge of a California court of record, for at least 10 years before election or appointment. The LA Times reports the salary is more than $244,000 a year. |
| How it works | Open seat, no incumbent. Two candidates. Most votes wins. |
| Party labels | Nonpartisan |
What it means for the City of LA
Superior court judges are elected by voters across the whole county, so every City of Los Angeles voter gets this contest. The Los Angeles County Superior Court is the trial court for the entire county, including the City.
At a glance
| Anthony (A.J.) Bayne | David DeJute | |
|---|---|---|
| June 2 primary (3 candidates) | 42.0%, first | 31.3%, second |
| LA County Bar Association rating (April 2026) | Well Qualified | Qualified |
| Contributions in 2026 | $24,036 through Sept 19 (no loans) | $8,580 through June 30, plus loans from himself |
| Spent in 2026 | $12,963 through Sept 19 | $167,912 through June 30 |
| Outside groups spending for / against | None found | $5,111 for, by the County Democratic Party |
Primary results, June 2, 2026
| Anthony (A.J.) Bayne | 694,004 | 42.0% |
|---|---|---|
| David DeJute | 516,631 | 31.3% |
| Sharee Sanders Gordon | 440,136 | 26.7% |
The candidates
Anthony (A.J.) Bayne
Bayne worked in aerospace and defense and was a member of UAW Local 148 before he became a lawyer (Daily News questionnaire). He earned his law degree at the Simon Greenleaf School of Law, now Trinity Law School, and was admitted to the bar in 1994 (State Bar; MetNews). He has been a Los Angeles County deputy public defender for about 25 years, 19 of them at the Compton Courthouse (LA Times). He has not held public office.
David DeJute
DeJute graduated from the University of Notre Dame and, cum laude, from Harvard Law School, and clerked for U.S. District Judge William J. Rea (campaign bio). He was admitted to the bar in 1991 (State Bar). He was vice president of litigation at Sony Pictures Entertainment and then an assistant U.S. attorney for 11 years, and joined the firm Michelman & Robinson in 2017 (LA Times). He directs the Disaster Relief Clinic at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, where he is an adjunct professor (Daily News questionnaire). He has not held public office.
The job
What a judge does. Superior courts have trial jurisdiction over all criminal and civil cases in the county. Judges serve six-year terms and are elected on a nonpartisan ballot. When a seat opens between elections, the Governor fills it by appointment (Judicial Council fact sheet). LAist lists the kinds of cases the LA court hears: child custody and divorce, landlord and tenant disputes, contract fights, theft and murder trials, probate and small claims. Judges have discretion over things like sentence length and damage awards (LAist).
Size. Hoodline, citing the court, calls it the nation’s largest trial court system and reports 36 courthouses in 12 judicial districts, more than 580 judicial officers and about 5,000 full-time employees serving 9.5 million residents (Hoodline). LAist counts more than 400 judges (LAist). Superior courts also have commissioners and referees, according to the Judicial Council fact sheet. The court says it receives about 1.3 million filings a year (ABC7).
Budget. The court’s funding comes through the state budget. In September 2026 the court said it is underfunded by $233.7 million, that the current state budget covers 76.77% of its calculated need (the lowest level since 2021), and that it would offer $35,000 to employees who agree to leave. It warned of longer lines and slower processing (ABC7).
Pay. The LA Times reports a superior court judge’s salary is more than $244,000 a year (LA Times).
Rules for candidates. The Code of Judicial Ethics bars judicial candidates from making statements “that commit the candidate … with respect to cases, controversies, or issues that are likely to come before the courts” (Canon 5B(1)(a), Code of Judicial Ethics). So candidates talk about how they would do the job rather than where they stand on issues.
Discipline. The Commission on Judicial Performance handles complaints against judges. In 2025 it received complaints about 1,116 judges and justices, opened 99 preliminary investigations and took 15 public actions, the Metropolitan News-Enterprise reported from its annual report (MetNews).
Bar ratings. The Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Judicial Elections Evaluation Committee rates candidates Exceptionally Well Qualified, Well Qualified, Qualified or Not Qualified. It issued its 2026 ratings on April 22, 2026, for the primary (LACBA report). LAist notes the LACBA is a private, volunteer membership group separate from the State Bar (LAist). No separate general-election report was found.
This seat. Office No. 87 is an open seat. Judge Holly J. Fujie, who held it, announced her retirement, the Metropolitan News-Enterprise reported (MetNews, Feb 3, 2026).
Records
Anthony (A.J.) Bayne
Legal career. Bayne was admitted to the State Bar on Dec. 1, 1994 (bar number 172129). His profile lists the Simon Greenleaf School of Law and criminal law as his practice area, and shows no public discipline (State Bar profile). The Metropolitan News-Enterprise notes the school, now Trinity Law School, is accredited by the State Bar’s Committee of Bar Examiners but not approved by the American Bar Association (MetNews editorial, Mar 20, 2026).
- He has been a Los Angeles County deputy public defender for about 25 years. He started with misdemeanors and moved up to “special circumstances” cases, where defendants can face the death penalty (LA Times).
- He spent 19 years at the Compton Courthouse, including as deputy in charge supervising misdemeanor trial lawyers (LA Times).
- He says he has tried more than 100 jury trials, three of them in 2026 (campaign site; Daily News questionnaire).
- His office evaluation for the year ending Nov. 30, 2023 rated him 3.53 out of 5, “Very Good,” and called him “one of our most senior attorneys,” the Metropolitan News-Enterprise reported. The year before he was rated “Competent” (MetNews editorial).
- He has filed patent applications for AI tools meant to help lawyers manage their workload (LA Times). The Daily News editorial board says he has been issued patents, with others pending (Daily News, May 28, 2026).
Before law. He worked in aerospace and defense and was a member of UAW Local 148. He says he served on his church’s board (Daily News questionnaire).
Prior campaigns. None found. He filed a declaration of intent for Office No. 87 on Feb. 5, 2026 (MetNews, Feb 6, 2026).
Ethics and court records. His State Bar history shows only his 1994 admission, with no discipline or administrative actions (State Bar profile). No FEC matter names him (FEC legal search). He is not a judge, so the Commission on Judicial Performance has no record on him. Searched Sept. 30, 2026.
David DeJute
Legal career. DeJute was admitted to the State Bar on June 21, 1991 (bar number 153527). His profile lists Harvard Law School and his address at Michelman & Robinson LLP, and shows no public discipline (State Bar profile).
- After law school he clerked for U.S. District Judge William J. Rea (campaign bio).
- He worked as a litigator at law firms and then for nearly a decade as vice president of litigation at Sony Pictures Entertainment (LA Times).
- He was an assistant U.S. attorney from 2005 for 11 years and handled 10 trials. The LA Times reports he defended President Obama against “birther” lawsuits challenging his eligibility for office (LA Times). The Metropolitan News-Enterprise reports he resigned from the U.S. Attorney’s office on June 30, 2017 (MetNews editorial, Mar 20, 2026).
- He joined Michelman & Robinson in 2017 in its complex litigation group (LA Times). CityWatch describes his role there as of counsel (CityWatch).
- He is director of the Disaster Relief Clinic and an adjunct professor of law at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, where the clinic gives free legal help to victims of the Palisades and Eaton fires (Daily News questionnaire; LA Times).
Prior campaign. In 2018 he filed declarations of intent for Superior Court open seats but did not run (MetNews editorial). A committee, “David A. DeJute for Superior Court Judge 2018,” filed reports with the Secretary of State from 2016 and a termination statement in July 2018 (Cal-Access committee; termination statement).
Ethics and court records. His State Bar history shows only his 1991 admission, with no discipline or administrative actions (State Bar profile). No public enforcement actions found in FPPC or FEC records (FPPC case search; FEC legal search). He is not a judge, so the Commission on Judicial Performance has no record on him. Searched Sept. 30, 2026.
Where they stand
Under the Code of Judicial Ethics, judicial candidates may not commit themselves on issues likely to come before the court (Code of Judicial Ethics, Canon 5B). The issues come from the questions the LA Times and the Southern California News Group asked every candidate (Bayne questionnaire; DeJute questionnaire), plus a CityWatch interview with DeJute after the primary.
| Issue | Anthony (A.J.) Bayne | David DeJute |
|---|---|---|
| Court delays and technology | Would “actively engage with court administration and the judicial council to identify where technology can reduce friction” and push to modernize court infrastructure; would address “systemic bottlenecks that delay resolution,” since backlogs can extend pretrial detention (LA Times, May 1, 2026). No specific proposal. | Judges can require lawyers to prepare and avoid “unnecessary hearing continuances” (CityWatch, June 2026). No specific proposal. |
| Court funding and juries | No specific proposal. | Said courts need more money, and that court funding “has been redirected to other state needs” (CityWatch, June 2026). Was skeptical of a voluntary jury system, which he said could create “a professional class of jurors,” and supported higher stipends for jurors (CityWatch interview). |
| Use of discretion (sentencing, diversion) | Would use the mental health tools the Legislature has provided “where those statutory mechanisms apply” (SCNG questionnaire). No specific proposal. | “I believe in rehabilitation and second chances tempered by real-world judgment” (SCNG questionnaire). Said judges can seek rehabilitation for “first time and non-violent individuals” (CityWatch, June 2026). No specific proposal. |
| Misconduct by lawyers or police | Would apply “the governing standard”; “Membership in the legal community or law enforcement is not a shield” (SCNG questionnaire). No specific proposal. | Claims “must be transparently investigated and fairly adjudicated,” with penalties “proportionate to the misconduct” (SCNG questionnaire). No specific proposal. |
| Role of a judge | “I do not believe in judicial activism” (SCNG questionnaire). | “Society is generally best served by judges not looking to engage in judicial activism” (SCNG questionnaire). Said he would resign rather than act against a core belief (SCNG questionnaire). |
On the other ballot measures
| Measure | Anthony (A.J.) Bayne | David DeJute |
|---|---|---|
| County Measure A (binding arbitration for County public safety unions) | No stated position. | No stated position. |
| County Measure E (County Ethics Commission) | No stated position. | No stated position. |
Positions on the state propositions and, for City voters, the City measures were not found for either candidate.
Endorsements
Anthony (A.J.) Bayne
From his endorsements page, checked Sept 29, 2026, unless another source is linked.
- Judges: 34 current and former judicial officers, including Judge Holly J. Fujie, who held Office No. 87; Judge Pat Connolly; Assistant Supervising Judge Olivia Rosales of the Criminal Division; and Judges Sean Coen, Christopher Frisco, Lynn D. Olson, Carol J. Najera, Teresa P. Magno and John Lonergan Jr. (campaign list).
- Law enforcement and prosecutors: former District Attorney Steve Cooley; Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC); West Covina Police Officers’ Association; Public Defender Ricardo D. García (listed “for informational purposes only”). About 50 lawyers are listed, many of them deputy district attorneys and deputy public defenders (campaign list).
- Unions: the ILWU is named in LA Forward’s recommendation, quoted on his page. ILWU Local 13’s PAC gave $1,000 (Cal-Access filings).
- Organizations: Mexican American Bar Association; La Defensa; LA Forward; Knock LA; Dr. Ruben Guerra, chairman of the Latin Business Association (campaign list).
- Elected officials: Monrovia Mayor Pro Tem Sergio P. Jimenez (campaign list).
- Newspapers: Southern California News Group, which publishes the Daily News (editorial, May 28, 2026); Metropolitan News-Enterprise (editorial, Mar 20, 2026); La Opinión, Our Weekly, Himalayan Voice and Colorado Boulevard are listed on his page.
David DeJute
From his endorsements page, checked Sept 29, 2026, unless another source is linked.
- Party: Los Angeles County Democratic Party (campaign bio). State filings show the party spent money supporting him (Cal-Access, party committee).
- Elected officials: Rep. Ted Lieu; State Treasurer Fiona Ma; state Sen. Ben Allen; County Assessor Jeffrey Prang (campaign list).
- Judges: Judges David Berger, Brian Gasdia, Steve Morgan, James Steele and David Walgren, and Judge James Hahn, a former Mayor of Los Angeles (campaign list).
- Former opponent: Sharee Sanders Gordon, the deputy city attorney who finished third in the primary (campaign list; County Registrar).
- Others: Rick Caruso; lawyers Morgan Chu (Irell & Manella), Sanford Michelman and Dana Kravetz (Michelman & Robinson), Thomas Mueller (WilmerHale), Henry J. Tashman and Roger E. West (campaign list).
- Democratic clubs: Pomona Valley Democratic Club (campaign list). He told CityWatch he is also endorsed by the Stonewall Democratic Club and the East Valley Progressive Democratic Club (CityWatch).
Editorial boards: none found for DeJute. The Southern California News Group (Daily News) and the Metropolitan News-Enterprise (MetNews) both endorsed Bayne. No LA Times endorsement was found for this race.
Polls
No public polls of this race were found.
Money
Judicial candidates file with the California Secretary of State. Figures are from each committee’s Form 460 reports in the state’s Cal-Access campaign finance database (bulk export of Sept 29, 2026): Elect Bayne for Judge 2026 and David A. DeJute for Judge 2026. Bayne’s reports run through Sept 19, 2026. DeJute’s run through June 30; his report for July 1 to Sept 19, due Sept 24, was not in the state data as of Sept 29.
| Anthony (A.J.) Bayne | David DeJute | |
|---|---|---|
| Committee | Elect Bayne for Judge 2026 (ID 1488166) | David A. DeJute for Judge 2026 (ID 1482039) |
| Reports through | Sept 19, 2026 | June 30, 2026 |
| Contributions, 2026 (money and in-kind) | $24,035.99 | $8,579.93 |
| Loans received, 2026 | None | $23,000 on the summary pages (from the candidate; see below) |
| Spent, 2026 | $12,963.03 | $167,912.36 |
| Cash on hand at end of period | $9,017.96 | $38,114.35 |
| Outstanding debts at end of period | None | $30,000 on the summary page |
| Outside spending for / against | None found | $5,110.81 for, by the LA County Democratic Party |
Source: Cal-Access committee pages for Bayne and DeJute; Bayne’s Form 460 for Jul 1 to Sep 19; DeJute’s Form 460s for Jan 1 to Apr 18 and Apr 19 to Jun 30; party spending on the Issues and Advocacy Committee and State Candidate Committee reports.
How the totals were built. Figures add up the “this period” column of each 2026 report. Both candidates’ year-to-date columns do not match those sums. Bayne’s Sept 19 report shows $21,765.66 received and $16,367.76 spent for the year (Form 460).
Bayne. His contributions include $4,908.99 in kind. Bayne gave his own campaign $3,777 in cash and $4,885.52 in kind (flyers, digital ads, yard signs and the like). His largest payment was $6,500 for advertising to impreMedia Operating Company (April and May). He also paid Chinese Daily Newspaper $400 for a digital ad (Cal-Access filings).
DeJute. His first report (Jan. 1 to April 18) shows $5,579.93 received and $88,026.71 spent, ending with cash of minus $82,446.78. The second (April 19 to June 30) starts with $92,000 in cash (Cal-Access filings). His loan schedules list loans from DeJute of $15,000 (March 13) and $30,000 (May 6) and a balance owed to him of $113,000 at June 30. Late reports show $2,000 more from DeJute on Sept. 14 (Form 497). A 2025 county report shows a $2,000 loan from him on June 27, 2025 (County NetFile filing). Before the primary he told CityWatch he planned to budget $300,000 for the campaign (CityWatch).
His largest payments through June 30: NAK Stratagoes, $60,000, described as digital advertising (May 6); Lamar Companies, $20,000 for billboards (March); slate mailers Cops Voter Guide ($14,310), Senior Advocate ($11,309), Voter Newsletter ($8,381), Cal Voter ($5,951, which his filing describes as aimed at “Republican and Minor Party Conservative households”), Cal Voter Guide ($2,050) and Citizens for Accountable Leadership ($2,000 twice); the East Area Progressive Democrats club, $3,918 for “voter education materials” (May 11); and LP Campaigns, his consultant, $3,000 a month. His committee also reported paying CityWatch Publishing $2,500 on Sept. 4 (Cal-Access filings).
Who is giving
Method: every itemized contribution (money and in-kind) on the 2026 Form 460s, deduplicated across amended reports. A donor is a normalized name plus ZIP code. Location is by ZIP code (LA County is 900 to 918). DeJute’s loans to his campaign are not contributions and are left out.
| Bayne | DeJute | |
|---|---|---|
| Donors (itemized) | 20 | 21 |
| Itemized dollars | $23,912.52 | $8,579.93 |
| Donors giving $1,000 or more | 7, $20,662.52 (86.4%) | 3, $3,140.05 (36.6%) |
| Donors giving under $250 | 5, $800 (3.3%) | 8, $729.01 (8.5%) |
| From LA County ZIP codes | 19 donors, 99.0% of dollars | 18 donors, 86.3% |
| Rest of California | 1 donor, 1.0% | 2 donors, 7.5% |
| Out of state | None | 1 donor, 6.2% |
Source: itemized contributions on the 2026 Form 460s filed with Cal-Access by Bayne’s committee and DeJute’s committee.
Anthony (A.J.) Bayne
- The two largest donors are Bayne himself ($8,662.52 in 15 cash and in-kind gifts) and one retired donor ($7,000 in three gifts). Together they account for 65.5% of itemized dollars (Cal-Access filings).
- Judges: five donors list a judgeship, and all five are on his endorsement list: Pat Connolly ($1,000), Carol Najera ($500), Teresa Magno ($300), Lynn Olson ($250) and John Lonergan Jr. ($100). Together: $2,150 (9.0%) (Cal-Access filings; campaign list).
- Other $1,000 donors: ILWU Local 13 (Sept. 11), one law firm, Monrovia Mayor Pro Tem Sergio Jimenez, and one other individual (Cal-Access filings).
David DeJute
- Lawyers: nine donors list a law job and gave $3,826.05 (44.6%). The two largest gave $1,070.05 and $1,000 (Cal-Access filings).
- Retired donors: seven gave $3,318.59 (38.7%). The largest gave $1,070 (Cal-Access filings).
- No judges or court staff appear among his donors (Cal-Access filings).
- A late report shows another $1,000 from one of the lawyers, dated Sept. 22 (Form 497).
Outside spending
- For DeJute: Los Angeles County Democratic Party. Two party committees reported paying JVE Agency of Whittier $5,110.81 on May 19 and 21, 2026 to support DeJute, coded as member communications and posters and literature: the Issues and Advocacy Committee ($3,422.01) and the State Candidate Committee ($1,688.80) (Issues and Advocacy report; State Candidate report).
- Where that money comes from. In 2026 the party’s State Candidate Committee reported $714,499 in itemized gifts from 187 donors, led by the United Nurses Association of California PAC ($50,000) and carpenters’ union committees ($49,000 each from two). The Issues and Advocacy Committee reported $916,482 from 105 donors, led by Fabian Núñez for State Treasurer 2026 and Allied Physicians of California ($100,000 each) and UTLA’s PACE ($75,000). The filings do not tie any donor to the DeJute spending (Issues and Advocacy Committee; State Candidate Committee).
- DeJute’s own Form 496 filings. DeJute’s committee filed 22 reports on Form 496, the form for independent spending. They describe the committee’s own payments to its vendors (billboards, slate mailers, its consultant, a laptop), which also appear on its Form 460s (Cal-Access filings). They are not outside spending.
- Bayne. No independent spending for or against Bayne was found in state filings through the Sept 29 export, or in LA County filings (Bayne committee; County campaign finance portal).
Key moments
Debates and forums
No debate or candidate forum for this seat was found.
Events
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Primary (June 2, 2026). Bayne finished first with 42.04% and DeJute second with 31.30%. Sharee Sanders Gordon, a deputy city attorney, received 26.66% (County Registrar). Gordon now appears on DeJute’s endorsement list (DeJute campaign).
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Endorsement editorials. The Daily News editorial board wrote that “voters … can’t really go wrong” in this race and chose Bayne, citing his support from Judge Pat Connolly, PORAC and La Defensa (Daily News, May 28, 2026). The Metropolitan News-Enterprise also endorsed Bayne, calling him “solid, though not among the strongest” candidates for the court (MetNews, Mar 20, 2026).
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Party support in a nonpartisan race. DeJute told CityWatch after the primary that he is “the sole remaining Democrat running for Seat 87” and cited the County Democratic Party’s endorsement (CityWatch). The party’s committees reported spending for him in May (Issues and Advocacy report; State Candidate report). Bayne’s page lists PORAC and La Defensa (campaign list), and the Daily News cited that mix as a reason for its endorsement (Daily News).