County judicial office
2026 primary resultLos Angeles County Superior Court Judge, Office 2
Current officeholder
Robert S. Draper
Robert S. Draper is the current holder of this Los Angeles County judicial office. Candidate profiles and the certified 2026 result are maintained on the separate election page.
- Court
- Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles
- Electorate
- Los Angeles County voters
- Court location
- Courthouses throughout Los Angeles County
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The election was countywide. Office 2 identifies this position on the 2026 ballot and should not be read as Draper's courtroom department.
Office overview
What voters are deciding
The office, electorate, and court jurisdiction are separate from the record of the person currently holding the seat.
Next scheduled vote
2026 election decided at the June primary
Nonpartisan candidate election
The certified primary result determined who will serve the next term. Candidate profiles and vote details are maintained on the separate election page.
- Full term
- 6 years
- Official note
- The elected term begins in January 2027. Office 2 is an election-cycle identifier, not a permanent courtroom number.
Current officeholder
Robert S. Draper
Judge Draper has served on the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2012. The Judicial Council roster still lists him as a current Los Angeles County judge. LAist reports that he is assigned to chambers work only and has not heard a case since returning from leave in June 2023. The election for the next term is covered separately.
- Current court status
- Listed as a Los Angeles County judge
- Current work status
- Chambers work only; no case hearings reported since June 2023
- Superior Court
- Serving since 2012
- Prior practice
- Complex civil litigation at O'Melveny & Myers and in private practice
- Appointed by
- Edmund G. Brown Jr.Governor of California, 2012Governor Brown appointment announcement ↗
General jurisdiction
Types of matters this court hears
These categories describe the Superior Court's countywide jurisdiction. They do not imply that Judge Draper currently hears every category. LAist reports that his current assignment is chambers work only and that he has no active case calendar.
Civil
Handles contracts, injuries, property, employment, business disputes, small claims, and other civil matters.
Criminal and traffic
Handles felony, misdemeanor, infraction, and traffic proceedings arising in Los Angeles County.
Family and juvenile
Handles divorce, custody, support, adoption, dependency, and juvenile justice matters.
Probate and specialized calendars
Handles estates, conservatorships, guardianships, mental health matters, and other assigned proceedings.
Court colleagues
Other members of this court
Superior Court judges generally preside individually. These selected Santa Monica civil colleagues are shown to help readers move among judges in the same courthouse as pages are completed.
Judge of the Superior Court
Lawrence Cho
Santa Monica Courthouse, Department K, civilProfile not published yetPage plannedJudge of the Superior Court
Mark H. Epstein
Santa Monica Courthouse, Department I, civilProfile not published yetPage plannedJudge of the Superior Court
Marsha N. Revel
Santa Monica Courthouse, Department B, civilProfile not published yetPage plannedJudge of the Superior Court
Bobbi Tillmon
Santa Monica Courthouse, Department G, civilProfile not published yetPage plannedRoster reviewed · Los Angeles Superior Court Santa Monica judicial officer directory ↗
Past judicial record
Selected past cases
The reading list includes an archived appellate opinion later ordered depublished, a published appellate writ decision, and an archived tentative ruling. Each record identifies Draper as the trial judge. This is not a complete case history or a rating.
Odom v. Los Angeles Community College District
Trial judge: Draper; appellate review of a jury judgment
The Court of Appeal found prejudicial evidentiary errors, reversed a roughly $10 million judgment, and described Draper's later disqualification from the matter. The Supreme Court ordered the opinion depublished in July 2025, so it is included as an archived case record rather than citable precedent.
ResultJudgment reversed and case remanded for a new trial; the opinion was later ordered depublished
Read the court record ↗California Department of Tax and Fee Administration v. Superior Court
Trial judge: Draper; published writ review of a demurrer ruling
The Court of Appeal held that a taxpayer could not avoid California's pay-first rule by framing an unpaid tax challenge as a request for declaratory relief.
ResultWrit petition granted; trial court directed to sustain the demurrer without leave to amend
Read the court record ↗Luna v. Cali One Services, Inc.
Trial judge: Draper; archived tentative ruling on a deposition subpoena
The tentative ruling found that requested account information was relevant but that the subpoena could reach privileged or irrelevant material, and directed the parties to propose a narrower request.
ResultMotion continued; parties ordered to narrow the subpoena and meet and confer
Read the court record ↗Public court records
Calendar, dockets, and opinions
LAist reports that Judge Draper is assigned to chambers work only and has not heard a case since June 2023. The court-wide tools may show scheduled matters for active departments, but this page does not create an active-case feed or list cases a judge is currently working on.
Los Angeles civil case calendar
View up to 14 days of public general civil calendar information by courthouse and department.
View civil calendars ↗Los Angeles case access
View available civil, criminal, family, probate, and small claims case information by case number. Some searches and document images require fees.
Search case records ↗Civil tentative rulings
Search tentative rulings posted by participating civil courtrooms by case number, location, department, and hearing date.
Browse tentative rulings ↗Public accountability
Judicial discipline
Public accountability records from California’s Commission on Judicial Performance.
Public proceeding statusFormal disciplinary proceeding pending
Search: Inquiry Concerning Judge Robert S. Draper, No. 212 · reviewed
The Commission instituted formal proceedings in January 2026. Draper filed a verified answer disputing the charges. After a public hearing, the Commission scheduled oral argument for October 7, 2026. No final decision had been issued as of this review.
Important limit: Formal charges are allegations, not a finding of misconduct. The Commission states that opening formal proceedings is not a misconduct determination. Draper's answer denies the alleged ethics violations. Confidential complaints and investigations are not public.
News and Press Releases
Updates involving this office
Read reviewed reporting involving this judicial office, its current officeholder, the public discipline proceeding, and the certified 2026 result. Follow each story to its source.
Independent reporting
L.A. County judge loses reelection bid in dramatic race
The report covers Draper's election loss, the still-pending disciplinary case, and Draper's response to the result. Candidate details are maintained on the election page.
Independent reporting
Embattled LA County judge loses seat in primary election
LAist explains the unusual defeat of a sitting judge and notes that the Commission had not yet reached a final decision on the pending charges.
Independent reporting
Judicial ballot choices: Robert Draper's public ethics proceeding
The report reviews public charge documents, hearing testimony, Draper's responses, and his chambers-only work status before the election.
About independent coverage: These articles were selected by Paper Trail Politics to document reporting connected to the officeholder's public record.
Methodology and limits
Data coverage and sources
Coverage is assessed against the records expected for this judicial office page and is updated as new public information is verified.
Current assessmentFocused coverage
This page connects the current officeholder, certified 2026 election result, selected past cases, court-wide filing statistics, public-record tools, a pending formal discipline proceeding, and reviewed reporting.
- Past cases
- Three verified public case records that identify Draper as the trial judge, with the depublished status of Odom stated; not a rating or complete case history.
- Statistics
- Court- or division-wide context only; not an individualized workload measure.
- Discipline
- Public formal proceeding with the charges, Draper's verified answer, hearing record, and pending oral argument; no final decision as of the assessment date.
This is a focused voter reading list, not a complete case history, ideology score, individualized workload measure, or representation of confidential discipline matters.
Sources used on this page9 source organizations · 22 records
Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
2 records from this source are used on the page.
Los Angeles County certified election results: Certified June 2, 2026 result and countywide vote totalshttps://results.lavote.gov/Los Angeles County final list of qualified candidates: Official candidate list establishing the Office 2 election record; candidate profiles are maintained on the election pagehttps://content.lavote.gov/docs/rrcc/documents/final-list-of-qualified-candidates-to-appear-on-the-ballot69a3cfe5-fc5f-4fcd-9d72-fa7a8791be63.pdf
Commission on Judicial Performance
5 records from this source are used on the page.
Pending case record: Inquiry Concerning Judge Robert S. Draper, No. 212https://cjp.ca.gov/pending_cases/CJP discipline and decision search: Official database and confidentiality explanationhttps://cjp.ca.gov/discipline_and_decision_search/Notice of Formal Proceedings: Commission charges filed January 14, 2026; charges are not final findingshttps://cjp.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2026/01/Draper-1-14-26.pdfVerified answer to formal charges: Draper's February 4, 2026 response denying the alleged ethics violationshttps://cjp.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2026/02/Draper-Answer_2-4-26.pdfNotice of oral argument: Commission record scheduling public oral argument for October 7, 2026https://cjp.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2026/08/Draper-NOH-OA-Commission-8-12-26.pdf
Los Angeles County Superior Court
4 records from this source are used on the page.
Los Angeles Superior Court Santa Monica judicial officer directory: Current court colleague rosterhttps://www.lacourt.org/courthouse/judicialofficers/smLos Angeles civil case calendar: View up to 14 days of public general civil calendar information by courthouse and department.https://www.lacourt.org/CivilCalendar/ui/mainpanel.aspx?CaseType=generalLos Angeles case access: View available civil, criminal, family, probate, and small claims case information by case number. Some searches and document images require fees.https://www.lacourt.org/website/FindaCase.aspxCivil tentative rulings: Search tentative rulings posted by participating civil courtrooms by case number, location, department, and hearing date.https://www.lacourt.org/page/ON0053
Judicial Council of California
4 records from this source are used on the page.
Judicial Council 2026 Court Statistics Report, tables 4a, 7a, and 11a: Los Angeles County Superior Court, fiscal year 2024–25https://courts.ca.gov/system/files/file/csr_2026.pdfJudicial Council 2025 Court Statistics Report, tables 4a, 7a, and 11a: Los Angeles County Superior Court, fiscal year 2023–24https://courts.ca.gov/system/files/file/final_csr_2025.pdfJudicial Council 2024 Court Statistics Report, tables 4a, 7a, and 11a: Los Angeles County Superior Court, fiscal year 2022–23https://courts.ca.gov/sites/default/files/courts/default/2024-12/2024-court-statistics-report.pdfStatewide Superior Court judges roster: Judicial Council roster identifying Draper as a current Los Angeles County judgehttps://courts.ca.gov/courts/superior-courts/judges-roster
Justia
2 records from this source are used on the page.
Odom v. Los Angeles Community College District: Appellate decision or archived tentative ruling B327997https://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2025/b327997.htmlCalifornia Department of Tax and Fee Administration v. Superior Court: Appellate decision or archived tentative ruling B294400https://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2020/b294400.html
Rulings.law archive
1 record from this source is used on the page.
Los Angeles Times
1 record from this source is used on the page.
LAist
2 records from this source are used on the page.
Embattled LA County judge loses seat in primary election: Independent reportinghttps://laist.com/news/politics/la-county-election-superior-court-judge-robert-draper-losesJudicial ballot choices: Robert Draper's public ethics proceeding: Independent reportinghttps://laist.com/brief/news/politics/2026-election-california-primary-robert-draper-la-county-judges
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