Barred judge allowed to resume law work

A former Contra Costa County judge who was removed from the bench in 2019 for sexual harassment and mistreatment of attorneys and court staff has won approval from the state Supreme Court to resume work as a lawyer.

John Laettner’s reinstatement was based on the State Bar Court’s findings that Laettner had undergone therapy, understood his past misconduct and was unlikely to repeat it.

Laettner was a prosecutor for 21 years before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed him to the court in 2006. In its November 2019 order, the state Commission on Judicial Performance said Laettner had generally been an “exemplary, conscientious judge,” but had engaged in “a pattern of undignified, discourteous and offensive conduct toward women” for more than a decade.

He regularly commented on female lawyers’ appearance, told one public defender she could get anything she wanted from him, told another she had not been spanked enough as a child, and called his courtroom stenographic reporter “pretty” and “hot,” the commission said. The State Bar then prohibited Laettner from practicing law in California.

Laettner had previously denied accusations of wrongdoing and claimed the county public defender’s office was attacking him because of his policies on bail. He first sought reinstatement as a lawyer in 2021, but the State Bar Court said he had not shown full understanding of his previous actions, and the state Supreme Court denied his appeal.

He reapplied last year, and in a decision in August, the State Bar Court said Laettner has “expressed insight and remorse for his behavior relating to gender bias and workplace harassment.”

The court said Laettner has undergone more than six months of treatment from a mental health therapist, who described him as humbled and remorseful, and also accepted counseling from six former judicial colleagues. He has volunteered at a library in Walnut Creek and a food bank and has done carpentry work for a local branch of Habitat for Humanity, the court said.

Five Contra Costa County judges and three retired judges have filed declarations that “attest to Laettner’s competency in the law, strong work ethic, and his commitment to justice,” the State Bar Court said.

Laettner then asked the state Supreme Court to restore his license to practice law, and the court agreed in a brief order on Wednesday. No arguments were filed opposing Laettner’s reinstatement. His attorney, David Darnell Bowie, could not be reached for comment.

The case is Laettner on Reinstatement, S281976.