In Support of Jason LaChance

Dear Editor,

Although I’ve been a resident of Sierra County for many years, I have not weighed in on judicial elections primarily due to the fact that for many of those years, I worked for the Sierra Superior Court. As the Court administrator, it was my honor to work under the direction of several fine public servants, our elected judicial officers. My hope is that any citizen who came before our Court during my tenure was treated fairly, respectfully and without fear or concern that a judge would be influenced by his/her political affiliation.

Contrary to a variety of particularly pointed allegations regarding Candidate LaChance’s neutral political affiliation, a judgeship is a “non-partisan” position. For a candidate to openly express political leanings, conservative or liberal, is a direct violation of the California Judicial Code of Ethics, Canon 5, as follows: A judge or candidate for judicial office shall not engage in political or campaign activity that is inconsistent with the independence, integrity, or impartiality of the judiciary. It is critical that a judicial candidate steer clear of association with a political party – we’ve seen enough controversy over this very issue throughout the last years in our Country. Let’s find a balance of integrity and allegiance to the laws of our State and Country.

As Commissioner, Jason LaChance has served the Sierra Superior Court with professional dignity, legal intelligence and a fair judicial disposition. Whenever we asked, through several years of judicial absence, recusal or illness, he readily responded to fill the need. A lot has been made of the limited monthly assignment to our Court. Let me explain, that a single day of appearance by stressed families and their attorneys, can result in many hours of judicial research and decision determination. Also, family law is a tough area of law often involving the welfare of children, criminal allegations as to abuse and the ultimate welfare of the entire family. Unlike Small Claims, Criminal and Traffic law, family cases do not readily resolve and often go on for years. Commissioner LaChance has the patience and diligence to see these cases through to the end.

Lastly, the learning curve for a new judicial officer is significant and often difficult. I believe that Jason La Chance will serve the Court with judicial and legal expertise, without bias, from day one. I fully support and endorse Jason LaChance to fill this critical position for Sierra County and its deserving litigants.

Lee Kirby

Sierra City