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Four campaining for Superior Court seats

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While 44 offices for San Diego Superior Court judge are up for election during the June primary, only two of these offices, office No. 25 and office No. 38, feature a challenger.

Attorney Paul Ware will be challenging incumbent Hon. James A. Mangione for office no. 25, while federal prosecutor Carla Keehn is challenging incumbent Hon. Keri G. Katz for office no. 38.

The San Diego County Bar Association has evaluated all four candidates as qualified.

Ware, a retired lieutenant colonel in the United States Marine Corps, is a senior attorney in the Department of Justice and formerly served as a military judge for seven years, where he presided over 600 trials, including contested trials in a combat zone.

He was awarded several military decorations, including the Legion of Merit, two Meritorious Service medals, two Navy Commendation medals and a Combat Action ribbon.

Ware attended the University of Southern California and the University of San Diego, where he studied law.

“My judicial philosophy is to faithfully apply the law as written, not making laws from the bench. I am not a political insider. My highest priorities are to defend the Constitution and ensure justice for all. I have the judicial experience and moral strength to hold the guilty accountable and the wisdom to apply compassion appropriately,” said Ware in his campaign statement.

Ware described himself as firm, fair and compassionate in his campaign statement.

For more information on Paul Ware, visit www.wareforjudge.com.

Mangione was appointed a Judge of the Superior Court in 2015. Prior to that, he spent over 30 years as an attorney in San Diego, serving as a partner in the law firm of Wingert, Grebing, Brubaker and Juskie LLP for 13 years, where he tried cases involving catastrophic injury, product liability and property damage, according to his biography. He was in practice for himself and was a senior trial lawyer at Luna, Brownwood and Rice.

He received his BA in history with honors from the University of California, San Diego and his Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego. Since 2006 he has taught trial techniques as an adjunct professor in the California Western School of Law Distinguished Advocacy Program.

Mangione said he had strong beliefs that judges should be “qualified with the upmost integrity.” “Our community depends on us to make wise decisions based on the law and to provide justice for all of us. There is no greater responsibility and I am proud to serve in this capacity,” said Mangione in his biography.

Mangione is endorsed by Democrat San Diego City Councilmember Todd Gloria and Republican San Diego County Supervisors Greg Cox and Dianne Jacob, as well as backing from Sheriff Bill Gore, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, San Diegans Against Crime, San Diego Police Officers Association and the Deputy Sheriffs Association of San Diego County, according to his biography. He also has be support of more than 120 judges.

For more information on James A. Mangione, visit www.electjudgemangione.com.

Keehn has spent 20 years as a federal prosecutor for the Southern District of California, convicting hundreds of criminals of federal felony offenses, including human trafficking, drug smuggling, bank robbery, assault on federal officers with injury, assault on infants with serious bodily injury and alien smuggling, according to Keehn’s biography.

Keehn is a cum laude graduate of Princeton University and the Univeristy of California Hastings Law.

She served in the U.S. Army and rose to the rank of Captain, Chief Trial Counsel in the Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG Corps) in the First Armored Division, where she prosecuted serious felonies including rape, attempted murder, grand theft and forcible sex acts on minors.

She also joined the California National Guard and was called to active duty to protect neighborhoods during the Los Angeles riots, according to her biography.

Keehn said in an email that she believes that judges should be above the appearance of impropriety, and that the only endorsement that matters to her is the voters who she will serve.

For more information on Carla Keehn, visit www.CarlaKeehnforJudge.com.

Katz has served as a sitting Superior Court Judge for two years and preceding her appointment, was a Superior Court commissioner for seven years. Katz is assigned to a family law department in the Superior Court, according to her biography.

Katz was raised in Poway and graduated from Poway High School. After attending UCLA and receiving her law degree from California Western School of Law, she served as an attorney for more than 20 years, starting as a San Diego deputy city attorney where she prosecuted hundreds of criminal cases.

She also served as assistant city attorney in charge of the entire civil division of the office, and was chief legal advisor for Mayor Jerry Sanders.

Katz has received endorsements from a variety of law enforcement agencies, including the Deputy Sheriff’s Association, the San Diego Police Officers Association, PORAC and the San Diego Deputy District Attorneys Association, according to her biography.

She has also been endorsed by Sheriff Bill Gore, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and over 150 Superior Court judges throughout California.

Katz said that as a judge, she follows the rule of law to ensure the families whose cases she presides over are treated with dignity and to make sure their cases are treated fairly.

For more information on Keri Katz, visit www.electjudgekatz.com.

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