Joyce Karlin Fahey
Joyce A. Karlin | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 5, 1951 |
| Other names | Joyce Fahey[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer, judge, politician |
Joyce Ann Karlin[1] (born January 5, 1951) served as both a federal prosecutor and a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. Her career highlights include controversial court decisions and sparking the '92 Los Angeles Uprising.
Early life and education
Karlin was born in Caracas, Venezuela.[2] Her father was a wealthy movie studio executive who was president of Warner Bros. International.[2] During her childhood, Karlin lived in several countries including Italy, Germany and Argentina.[2] Her family moved to Chicago. Karlin received a degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1974.[2]
Career
Karlin was employed by defense attorneys in Chicago and Los Angeles.[2] She served as an assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles. She presided over the case of former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Agent Darnell Garcia.[3][4]
Karlin became a Superior Court judge in 1991 and that year, she presided over the controversial voluntary manslaughter case involving the Death of Latasha Harlins.[5] Karlin's light sentencing[5] was met with outrage and protest from the African-American community. It is the opinion of some historians that the decision fueled the racial unrest the black community was already feeling in the aftermath of the Rodney King beating and possibly contributed to the '92 Los Angeles Uprising.
[6][7][8][9] The Los Angeles County District Attorney issued a "blanket affidavit policy", that disallowed Karlin from judging felony cases "involving violent crimes."[1][2] In 1992, an effort to recall Karlin failed when she prevailed in the election primary.[1] Karlin was elected in spring 1992 to California's Superior Court. She received 51% of the vote, defeating four other candidates.
In 1997, Karlin retired from her position as a judge.[1] She was later elected to the Manhattan Beach, California city council[10] for eight years and in 2002 served a rotation as mayor, per the system used for Manhattan Beach.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Grace, Roger M. (2007-09-14). "Commissioner Jones, Former Judge Karlin Draw Administrative Bar Suspensions". Metropolitan News-Enterprise. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
- ^ a b c d e f Stolberg, Sheryl (Dec 9, 1991). "Associates Call Judge Karlin Open-Minded, Independent : Courts: Friends say she carefully deliberated the case of Soon Ja Du and that she stands firm in wake of criticism". LA Times. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
- ^ Soble, Ronald L. (1990-11-21). "Corruption Trial Begins for Ex-Drug Agent Law enforcement: The former officer went on a five-year crime spree, stealing money and narcotics, prosecutors say". pqasb.pqarchiver.com. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
- ^ (March 17, 1987) [1] Modesto Bee [dead link]
- ^ a b Tobar, Hector (1997-02-11). "Judge Who Gave Probation in '91 Killing Quits; Courts: Joyce Karlin was criticized for imposing on a Korean grocer a probated sentence of 5 years after the Korean grocer shot and killed Latasha Harlins, a young, Black girl falsely accused of stealing a bottle of orange juice. She cites family reasons for leaving bench". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
- ^ Romero, Dennis (2013-07-10). "How a $1.79 Bottle of Orange Juice Helped Spark the L.A. Riots". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
- ^ "Judge Faces Protests In Grocer Case". Daily News of Los Angeles. 1991-11-20. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
- ^ Stewart, Sally Ann (1991-11-26). "Blacks, Koreans in L.A. try to ease tension". USA Today. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
- ^ "Protesters Ordered to Keep Clear of Karlin Home - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. 1992-01-03. Retrieved 2013-10-12.
- ^ The Beach Reporter, July 30, 2008