Michele Hagan

GOSSELIN ACCUSED OF MISLEADING PUBLIC ON SIGNS IN JUDICIAL RACE

 

 

By Miriam Raftery

May 25, 2014 (San Diego) Campaign signs posted by Ken Gosselin’s judicial campaign  are raising ethical questions In large letters, the words Judge Gosselin are displayed.  Nearly invisible to motorists and passersby, the word “for” in small italics is also present on the signs.

Gosselin, a candidate for Superior Court Judge seat 25, has previously worked as a temporary judge pro tem handling traffic and small claims court cases. He is currently not listed on the Superior Court’s roster of judges pro tem and has stated he is on leave due to the campaign. However, judicial candidates by law are not allowed to call themselves judges, even if  the candidate is currently serving as a judge pro tem.


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MORE JUDICIAL CANDIDATES SPEAK OUT, CRITICIZE SAN DIEGO BAR’S RATING SYSTEM

 

Hear a podcast of our interview with Carla Keehn (photo, left), Superior Court judicial candidate: https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au... .  The interview aired on KNSJ 89.1 FM.

By Miriam Raftery

May 7, 2014 (San Diego) – How fair are ratings for judicial candidates meted out by the San Diego County Bar Association?

Last week, the Bar’s Judicial Election Evaluation Committee (JEEC)came out with rankings in five contested Superior Court judicial races.  The Bar ranked three candidates as “lacking qualifications” including one with extensive experience and no disciplinary actions. The professional lawyers’ group also gave a “highly qualified” rating to an incumbent judge who  pled guilty to reckless driving  with alcohol involved and has faced multiple legal disciplinary actions.

Now some candidates are speaking out to criticize the Bar’s ratings system—calling for its abolishment or dramatic changes to make the system more transparent and fair.

One of those candidates, Carla Keehn, has erected billboards starting today to reveal her opponent’s criminal conviction.  “Vote for Carla Keehn, the only candidate without a criminal conviction. No one is above the law—not even judges,” the billboards read.

Audio: 


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

JUDICIAL CANDIDATE SPEAKS OUT, CALLS FOR CHANGES TO COUNTY BAR’S RATING SYSTEM (HEAR PODCAST)

 

 

Missed the show? Listen to our podcast of this interview, now posted here:

https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...

May 5, 2014 (San Diego) – Superior Court Judge candidate Michele Hagan was a guest on our May 5 East County Magazine Show on KNSJ 89.1 FM.

“We don’t let football players choose referees. So why are we letting lawyers choose judges?” asks Hagan, a former prosecutor and judge pro tem who also publishes a blog on legal issues.

She contends that the County Bar Association gave her a “lacking qualifications” rating because she spoke out in her blog about a local judge who awarded alimony to a man convicted of a violent sexual act against his wife, then worked to pass a new state law, AB 1522, to protect victims from having to pay alimony to spouses convicted of a violent sexual felony.

She contends that the Bar’s rating system for judicial candidates is flawed, subject to bias, and not transparent.   To read her credentials for the job, click "read more" and scroll down.

Audio: 


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

JUDICIAL CANDIDATE FACES ETHICS CONTROVERSIES

 

Court stipulation requires changes in ballot statement claims; fundraiser for Issa and large donations raise further ethical questions

By Miriam Raftery

April 22, 2014 (San Diego) –Three candidates are vying for Superior Court Judge, seat 25, on the June ballot. The top two will face off in November.  The official ballot designations list them as Deputy Attorney General Brad Weinreb, attorney/fraud examiner Michele Hagan, and attorney/court volunteer Ken Gosselin.

Controversy has arisen surrounding Gosselin,  after Weinreb filed a legal challenge alleging exaggerated experience and education claims on Gosselin’s ballot statement. 

In addiiton, an ECM investigation has found that a fundraiser that Gosselin held at his home for a non-judicial candidate, Congressman Darrell Issa, may have violated California's Judicial Canon of Ethics, which prohibit judicial candidates from fundraising for or endorsing non-judicial candidates. A second Congressional candidate has also stated that Gosselin endorsed him.  Other violations may have occurred due to hefty campaign contributions made by Gosselin to the San Diego County Republican Party, which later endorsed him, and to the Lincoln Club.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.