Senate committee considers LA judge for district court

L.A. Superior Court Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell testified Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

An L.A. Superior Court judge is absent from the bench today, but she has a good excuse: she’s been nominated for the federal court and had to answer questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell’s nomination is largely without controversy.  Several committee members, including Republican Senator Mike Lee from Utah, asked the Northridge native to explain one sentence in her writings, that “an effective advocate is one who develops empathetic ties to decision makers, be they judge or jury, and exploits them to their clients’ advantage.”

Lee asked how judges should respond "when they feel an empathetic pull?" O’Connell told the Judiciary Committee empathy shouldn’t govern judicial decision-making. "The fact that I recognize that is important because then I can disregard it."

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