Voting for Judges: Who Knows?

Are you planning to vote in the upcoming election on June 3, 2008?  I hope so. I wanted to let you all know who I am voting for in the judicial elections.  I know that it's weird voting for judges because most of us are not informed in the "lesser" races. Who are these people? I took the time to do a bit of research, made some phone calls and even spoke to a couple of the candidates themselves.  Here's how I am voting:

Judge of the Superior Court

Office No. 25

JOHN NHO TRONG NGUYEN

I am voting for him because it is very rare that a sitting judge is challenged.  Mr. John Nguyen recently changed his party registration to be a "decline-to-state-voter" which is what I am. His opponent (be careful as they share the same last name) is a registered Democrat. The guy I voted for, John Nguyen, has the endorsement of a major Orange County Republican, Tom Fuentes.

Judge of the Superior Court

Office No. 4

NICK THOMPSON

After reading his website, I was leaning toward Mr. Nick Thompson.  I then spoke with him over the phone and that put me over the top to choose him.  Mr. Thompson is a law and order guy.  The guy has seen combat too. He holds a Bronze Star for service in Iraq. He's received Army commendations.

Judge of the Superior Court

Office No. 8

BARRY COLLINS

I spoke with a friend of Mr. Collins over the phone.  The friend happened to be a former pastor.  Mr. Collins is a follower in the way of Jesus Christ.  He has actually co-authored a children's book on biblical justice that I'm told is being used in Africa.  Also, he has done work in Rwanda.  Mr. Collins attends Saddleback Church.  For you party-line people, I believe the higher ups in the GOP have actually endorsed Mr. Collins opponent, but I don't care.  I think Mr. Collins will be a no-nonsense judge.

Judge of the Superior Court

Office No. 12

MICHAEL FLORY

This one is a bit trickier because there are four people running. The two at the top (Kermit Marsh & Debra Carrillo) are well-connected people and appear to be pretty beholden to the Republicans. They are both endorsed by the head D.A., Tony Rackauckas. BOTH of them!? Frankly, I don't care because it's politics as usual.  Apparently, the only female candidate, Debra Carrillo, is a good friend of Mr. Rackauckas' wife so he "had" to endorse her.  I received an e-mail from Carrillo and she made some strong allegations against Flory, saying he has had "several troubling incidents of bad behavior in court" so you might want to proceed with caution. I personally spoke with Mr. Flory and he actually reminds me of myself, politically only. I also feel he has the most experience for the job.  He is a long-time Deputy D.A., a prosecutor.  I like that.  I also think it's cool that he listed his cell phone on his website:  714-305-5648. He told me, "Have your friends give me a call."  He also claims one of his "problems" is being too honest.  "I'm not going to tell you what you want to hear; I'm going to tell you what I actually believe."  In all fairness, I also spoke with K.C. Jones who even Mr. Flory says is a nice guy.  I just don't think he's going to be as good at the job of superior court judge.  If you don't vote for Flory, you should vote for Debra Carrillo. She was a police officer for several years, then a bailiff, and now a deputy district attorney.

These are my opinions only.  You can take them or leave them. My absentee ballot is in the mail.