State watchdog admonishes retired California judge for discourteous, sexist behavior

A state watchdog publicly admonished a former Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Tuesday for a six-year pattern of discourteous and sexist behavior toward attorneys, jurors and others who appeared in his courtroom.

Judge James A. Kaddo, who retired in November 2024 at the age of 90 after nearly 34 years on the bench, at times conveyed the appearance of hostility based on gender, race, national origin or ethnicity, the California Commission on Judicial Performance said in a 72-page report.

In seven cases since 2018, Kaddo’s misconduct included addressing women who appeared before him as “young lady,” “lady,” “this lady,” “these ladies,” and “ma’am,” while he did not address men similarly as “gentlemen.” He also was reprimanded for implying that women were too emotional when they discuss their “feelings” and telling them to “control” themselves.

“Former Judge Kaddo also made intemperate and discourteous comments to potential jurors, including numerous complaints that potential jurors had ‘abused’ him,’ ” the commission said. “Former Judge Kaddo further became embroiled with parties and attorneys, inappropriately argued with counsel, raised his voice on multiple occasions, and made discourteous comments (including telling a litigant to ‘shut up’).”

Kaddo could not be reached for comment. However, he told the commission his comments were “rare flare-ups” or “shows of evanescent irritation,” adding it was necessary to admonish attorneys to control his courtroom.

“The commission concluded that, no matter his intention, many of Judge Kaddo’s comments were, at a minimum, demeaning and also reflected offensive and outdated stereotypes,” the judicial panel’s report states.

Los Angeles Superior Court officials said Tuesday they could not comment specifically on the admonishment. “Court leadership reiterates its belief that judicial officers have a responsibility to reinforce the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary by dispensing justice fairly and with the highest standards of conduct on and off the bench,” the court said in a statement.

In one instance during jury selection in October 2018, Kaddo complained to potential jurors about how he had been treated the previous day.

“He stated multiple times that the potential jurors had ‘abused’ him,” the commission said. “Judge Kaddo stated that, the prior day, he had ‘insulted (a potential juror) as much as [he] could’; that he intended to be ‘harsh and tough,’ whether they liked it or not; and that the process was ‘brutal’ and ‘cruel.’ “

According to the commission, Kaddo’s conduct was exacerbated by prior discipline.

In 2023, the commission privately admonished Kaddo for speaking in a discourteous and demeaning manner to two self-represented litigants during a small-claims trial. He was also privately admonished in 2004 for serving on an arbitration committee in a family law case and displaying a lack of candor when asked about it by the commission.

Kaddo’s most recent admonishment is the latest misconduct controversy involving Los Angeles Superior Court judges.

In February, the commission publicly reprimanded Judge Daviann L. Mitchell for repeatedly entering the private chambers of other jurists after hours to rifle through their confidential papers and try to access their personal computers.

And in April, 17 attorneys signed onto a motion to disqualify Judge Mary Ann Murphy from a child sex abuse trial, citing alleged favoritism in the presence of jurors, racial bias and a lengthy history of abusive behavior.