L.A. County judge accused of prying into offices, papers and computers of fellow judges

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has been admonished after entering the private chambers of other judges and going through their papers and computers, according to the California Commission on Judicial Performance.

The independent state agency, which is responsible for investigating complaints of judicial misconduct and disciplining state court judges, released a public admonishment this week about Judge Daviann L. Mitchell, stating that she repeatedly went into the chambers of Supervising Judge Denise McLaughlin-Bennett and Judge Kathleen Blanchard without their permission in 2023.

McLaughlin-Bennett and Blanchard work in the Michael D. Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster. At the time of the incidents, McLaughlin-Bennett supervised Mitchell, who also served as the court’s assistant supervising judge.

“Judge Mitchell’s conduct constituted a failure to uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary and to personally observe high standards of conduct so that the integrity and independence of the judiciary is preserved,” the commission said.

Mitchell, who has been on the bench since 2006, said in a statement that her actions “occurred during a period of extreme personal and professional stress, resulting in a perfect storm where I lost my way and engaged in behavior that does not reflect the person I know myself to be.”

“These choices were my own for which I take full responsibility,” she said. “I am committed to a future consistent with my lifelong dedication to acting with integrity and upholding the highest standards of my judicial office with compassion, kindness, and grace.”

McLaughlin-Bennett found out that someone had been going into her chambers and started locking her door, according to the commission. She also scheduled a meeting with the court’s judicial officers and told them to lock their computers at night. Mitchell continued going into the chambers of McLaughlin-Bennett, who eventually had her lock changed, according to the commission.

Mitchell also went into Blanchard’s chambers in 2023 by using a master key, the commission wrote. She tried to get into Blanchard’s computer and went through the papers on her desk, the commission found.

California

California courts sued over failure to ensure transcripts in millions of hearings

Amid a shortage of certified court reporters, two legal aid groups say courts in L.A. County and other jurisdictions are not maintaining verbatim records of many proceedings, which can limit appeals and be a factor in the outcome of child custody disputes, domestic violence orders and evictions.

Dec. 11, 2024

In Mitchell’s response to the investigation during her appearance before the commission, she said that she had remorse for her “entirely unacceptable conduct” and that she’d “lost her way” during a time of stress that had affected her mental health.

Mitchell also made “discourteous” and “undignified” comments regarding a defendant’s physical appearance, the commission wrote.

On June 22, 2023, Mitchell presided over a case involving Stuart Cooper Young, who was charged with sex crimes against children. Young’s attorney negotiated a plea deal that involved Young pleading to lesser charges for less prison time.

Mitchell commented on Young’s appearance, saying that people who were charged with sex crimes against children are “not treated well in prison,” the commission wrote.

“You’re a younger man. You’re a handsome man, and you are very well built, and you will be an attraction in state prison, and that’s thinking about being there for, potentially, up to 18 years is something you will have to think about,” Mitchell told him. “Is that the environment that you want to be in?”

Mitchell was previously admonished in 2010, when the commission said she failed to disclose her involvement in dog breeding when she was handling an criminal case involving the abuse of dogs.