A former Contra Costa County Superior Court judge, who had been removed from his position for misconduct, has successfully convinced the California Supreme Court to support a state bar decision to restore his law license.
During their weekly meeting, the justices granted Judge John T. Laettner’s petition for reinstatement as a lawyer. The court had previously refused to consider the Commission on Judicial Performance ruling that led to Laettner’s removal from the bench in June 2020.
- The Commission on Judicial Performance, an independent state agency tasked with probing into judicial misconduct, highlighted a series of misconducts, including five acts of willful misconduct and 11 acts of prejudicial misconduct where Laettner was involved.
- In December 2019, The California State Bar suspended Judge Laettner, who had earlier served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California, following his removal from the bench after a 13-year term as a judge.
- Despite the opposition of the Office of Chief Trial Counsel, the bar’s prosecutors, to Laettner’s “failing to show rehabilitation from the Commission’s finding of lack of candor,” a State Bar Court judge considered evidence of rehabilitation and recommended the restoration of his license to practice law as of August 22.
David Darnell Bowie, from Bowie & Schaffer, is representing Laettner.
The case, named In re Laettner, is currently indexed as Cal., No. S281976, and its developments are dated February 14, 2024.
More details regarding this story can be found on Bloomberg Law.