In The News
Judge Cordell is quoted in publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and San Jose Mercury News.
Photo credit: Linda Cicero, Stanford News Service
‘Lies, secrecy’ and Hawaii: Report details Bay Area sheriff’s alleged inappropriate relationship
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, November 12, 2024 -
Supervisors said the findings of the nearly 400-page report — independently conducted by retired Santa Clara Superior Court Judge LaDoris Cordell — were “extremely concerning” and “unprecedented” in the history of San Mateo County government.
Union leaders say sheriff’s chief of staff is creating a “culture of fear”
PALO ALTO DAILY POST, September 8, 2024 - Former Santa Clara County Judge LaDoris Cordell, who served as San Jose’s police auditor, is investigating several HR complaints… it isn’t known if or when Cordell’s report will be released. She has declined comment.
Analysis: Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric has been effective for him so far but poses real danger
CNN POLITICS, April 1, 2024 - “I’ve presided over thousands of hearings and trials during my nearly 20 years as a trial judge and never did any defendants in my courtroom show such disrespect for the court system as what’s shown by Donald Trump,” retired Superior Court of California Judge LaDoris Cordell told CNN’s Omar Jimenez. And if Trump breaks an expanded gag order,“there should be only one response: ‘Bring your toothbrush, Donald Trump, because you’re going to sit in a jail cell for a while.’ ”
VIDEO - “Judge Merchan should immediately expand the gag order,” said Cordell, March 31, 2024
If Trump breaks an expanded gag order, “there should be only one response: ‘Bring your toothbrush, Donald Trump, because you’re going to sit in a jail cell for a while.’ ”
RAW STORY: 'Bring your toothbrush': Ex-judge puts Trump on notice that he will 'sit in a jail cell'
YAHOO/HUFFPOST: Retired Judge Spots 1 Blunt Response If Trump 'Steps Across' The 'Gag Order Line'
WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Former judge suggests Trump needs to be jailed if he breaks gag order: ‘Bring your toothbrush’
In Pursuit of Harsher Punishments, San Francisco Courtwatchers Target Judges
BOLTS MAGAZINE, February 23, 2024 - “When I started as a baby judge, and I was first appointed, one of the older judges came to me and said, ‘Look, if you don’t want to get reversed in criminal cases, just throw the book at everybody,’” Cordell recalls.
Why does California elect local judges?
CAL MATTERS, February 23, 2024 - Even though judicial races are nonpartisan, electing judges doesn’t entirely remove political influence. The candidates can receive campaign contributions, including from lawyers they deal with in court, as retired judge and author LaDoris Hazzard Cordell told KQED.
Can judges endorse political candidates? Competitive Bay Area races are testing boundaries
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, February 13, 2024 – “I don’t think there’s any problem with a judge … quietly attending any kind of political event,” Cordell told the Chronicle. But a public endorsement — particularly of an official with cases in the judge’s court — can conflict with standards of neutrality, she said.
The stage is set for the 13th annual concert by the African American Composer Initiative
PALO ALTO ONLINE, January 25, 2024 – Marvin Gaye’s timeless album, "What's Going On," is an eponym for the upcoming 13th annual concert organized by the African American Composer Initiative (AACI), a group that’s on a mission to bring the work of African American composers, living and deceased, back into public consciousness.
RAW STORY, December 19, 2023 – Former judge: ‘Clarence Thomas will recuse himself when Ginni flies’
Hells Angels expert needed, so cop steps in.
This despite his being on leave as one of many Antioch officers named in racist texting scandal
BAY AREA NEWS GROUP, November 15, 2023 – “I’m very concerned that we’re giving so much credibility to someone who, right now, can’t be on the force because of these very serious allegations," said LaDoris Cordell, a retired Santa Clara County judge and former San Jose independent police auditor.
New documents raise questions about hiring of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price’s boyfriend. The job that Antwon Cloird received was not publicly advertised, county officials say.
MERCURY NEWS, September 17, 2023 – “You can’t say ‘I’m going to be progressive and transparent and this is a new day,’ and then adopt the behavior of the very person who ran the office before, who you have slammed,” Cordell said. “And that’s what’s happened here. The county needs to have an anti-nepotism policy because everyone knows that nepotism is wrong.”
Will a Plan to Cut SFPD Command Staff Stop 'Revolving Door' of Top Brass?
KQED, September 20, 2023 – The Blue Ribbon Panel retired Judge LaDoris Cordell served on noted that community members desired police to serve long-term assignments in a community to get to know and build trust with residents. "But it’s hard to do it in a system that says your best reward is being promoted and moving up as fast as you can," said Cordell.
New documents raise questions about hiring of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price’s boyfriend. The job that Antwon Cloird received was not publicly advertised, county officials say.
MERCURY NEWS, September 17, 2023 – “You can’t say ‘I’m going to be progressive and transparent and this is a new day,’ and then adopt the behavior of the very person who ran the office before, who you have slammed,” Cordell said. “And that’s what’s happened here. The county needs to have an anti-nepotism policy because everyone knows that nepotism is wrong.”
MEDIAITE, September 12, 2023: Ex-Judge Ridicules Trump To CNN’s Kaitlan Collins For ‘Yelling Like Hell’ To Get Chutkan Thrown Off Case With ‘No Facts’
HUFFPOST, September 12, 2023: Retired Judge Explains Why Donald Trump Is 'Really Afraid' Of Judge In Election Case
LaDoris Cordell, retired California Superior Court judge:
“When you’re a female judge—and also a judge of color, this combination is such that we have to make sure we are in control of the proceedings. I encourage the judge if she has to do so, and maybe she’s already done it, to have ‘The Talk’ early on.”
HUFFPOST, August 30, 2023: Retired Judge Reveals 'Very Simple' Way She'd Keep Trump Lawyers In Line
"It was stunningly stupid because, one, the comparison is ridiculous, but second, if you want to alienate a judge in a case, this was exactly what to do," said Cordell over Trump lawyers' comparison to an infamous racist rape case.
RAW STORY, August 28, 2023: 'Stunningly stupid': Legal expert flattens Trump lawyers over comparison to racist case
VANITY FAIR, August 29, 2023: “Stunningly Stupid”: Trump Lawyers’ Comparison of Ex-President’s Plight to that of Black Teens Wrongfully Convicted of Rape Does Not Go Over Well; they should probably try to avoid this sort of thing in the future.
NEWSWEEK, August 29, 2023: Trump Lawyers Made a 'Stunningly Stupid' Move, Former Judge Says
THE NEW REPUBLIC, August 29, 2023: Former Judge Trashes “Stunningly Stupid” Move From Trump’s Legal Team; Trump’s legal team tried to compare his trial to a landmark Supreme Court case.
HUFFPOST, August 28, 2023: Retired Judge Spots ‘Stunningly Stupid’ Move From Trump's Legal Team; it is "absurd" and a surefire way to “alienate” the judge, argued LaDoris Hazzard Cordell.
SALON, August 29, 2023: “Absolutely absurd”: Ex-judge calls out Trump lawyer’s “stunningly stupid” argument in court. Trump's legal team tried to draw parallels between his case and that of a 1932 SCOTUS case involving nine Black men.
DAILY BEAST, August 28, 2023: Former Judge Rips Trump Lawyers for ‘Stunningly Stupid’ Move
TRANSCRIPT
“You know, he’s a ‘Chatty Charlie’ and he’s going to just talk and talk, and he really doesn’t care about rules that say you can speak or cannot speak,” said Cordell.
Photo Credit: Chatty Charlie/Hasbro; Donald Trump/Getty Images
NEWSWEEK, August 8, 2023: Former Judge Predicts a Trump Gag Order: 'This Man Cannot Shut Up'
HUFFPOST, August 8, 2023: Retired Judge Predicts What’s Next For ‘Chatty Charlie’ Trump
SALON, August 8, 2023: “This man cannot shut up”: Ex-judge warns Trump risks gag order as his judge sets speedy hearing
RAW STORY, August 7, 2023: ‘This man cannot shut up’: Ex-judge says Trump is headed towards a gag order
YAHOO, August 8, 2023: Retired Judge Predicts What’s Next For ‘Chatty Charlie’ Trump
DA’s boyfriend got job in her office
BAY AREA NEWS GROUP | OAKLAND, August 13, 2023 – “I see so many problems with it. I see problems with conflict of interest. I see a problem with nepotism. I see a problem with lack of transparency. It’s problematic in every way I look at it,” said retired Santa Clara County Judge and former San Jose Independent Police Auditor LaDoris Cordell. “In public government, you don’t do this. There’s no way in my view to justify this.”
They Carry Weapons. So Why Don't Security Guards Have to Get Use-of-Force Training?
KQED | NPR, June 12, 2023 – “We have this big corporation that nobody’s really looking at and saying, ‘What are you doing about this issue?’ [They know] full well that the folks that they’re bringing in are not well-trained. They’re not well-paid,” said policing expert LaDoris Cordell, a retired judge who worked as San José’s independent police auditor for five years.
San Jose police fail to fill vacant racial equity role
SAN JOSE´ SPOTLIGHT, May 31, 2023 – LaDoris Cordell, a retired judge and former independent police auditor in San Jose, said the department needed to do more to find a diverse pool of qualified candidates, such as reaching out to organizations such as the NAACP, La Raza Roundtable de California and other organizations in San Jose run by people of color, to help spread the word about the job opening.
“This cannot be business as usual where you just post in two places,” she old San José Spotlight. “Right there in the title it says racial equity, which means we need to find people, preferably someone of color, who has background, who has perspective on issues that someone who is not of color might not have.”
What to Read This Summer—2023. From a missing violin to a mayor’s memoir, adventure awaits, no sunblock required.
STANFORD MAGAZINE, May 31, 2023 – “[The Violin Conspiracy is a] fun read for anyone who loves classical music and also enjoys a good mystery...”–LaDoris Hazzard Cordell, JD ’74, author of Her Honor: My Life on the Bench . . . What Works, What’s Broken, and How to Change It
Silicon Valley Insiders and Stanford Law Professor Influence on Election to Recall Judge Persky
THE DAVIS VANGUARD, May 2, 2023 – “Wait a minute, put the brakes on here; the community, the public, the media are being misled, and those of us who know this need to speak out,” said Cordell in the documentary.
California Attorney General announces major civil rights investigation into Antioch police
EAST BAY TIMES | May 10, 2023 – Retired Santa Clara County Judge LaDoris Cordell called Bonta’s investigation “long overdue,” and called on the officers who were involved in the racist text scandal to be fired.
San Jose police union hides web pages after scandal
San José Spotlight, April 10, 2023 – “Whoever is giving them advice that they should take down everybody’s names, take down photos, and you have to use a special password to even find out anything about the SJPOA, in my view that is a big mistake,” Cordell said. “Is this building trust? No.”
OC Superior Court: 'Justice partners to decide if a judge issuing warrants from Canada is a rule violation'
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RECORD, August 22, 2022 – Cordell said that Thompson is being unjustly investigated and that there is no mention of such a requirement in the Orange County Superior Court Local Rules.
Former judicial officer: 'No rule against OC judge signing search warrants remotely while abroad'
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RECORD, August 12, 2022 – “In my view, this is much ado over nothing,” said Cordell who worked as a judge from 1982 to 2001 and authored a book called Her Honor. “If there were a local rule and the judge either didn't know about it or just blatantly violated it, that's something to talk about but I don't believe it furnishes a constitutional basis to say the search warrants he signed in Canada are no good.”
Even the District Attorney Believed Joaquin Ciria Was Innocent. Why Did It Take So Long to Set Him Free?
POLITICO | LAW AND ORDER, August 8, 2022 – A unique commission in California offers a look at what can happen when a prosecutor asks outsiders to help him right his office’s wrongs.
“I saw so much injustice when I was on the bench. And there are things judges can do to make things right, but there’s so many things we can’t because our hands are tied,” said Cordell, who was the first Black woman on the bench in northern California. “Prosecutors decide who gets charged. Prosecutors decide whether or not to dismiss charges.” Joining the commission, she said, “was a way that I, just me now, could right some wrongs that I saw.”
Drivers getting medical treatment don’t have to renew license photo
MERCURY NEWS | MR. ROADSHOW, August, 2022 – "Hola, Gary. I write to interest you in a new policy at the DMV that few people know about, but one that can impact thousands of Californians. Here goes:
In February 2020, my former extern at the Superior Court, who went on to become an amazing appellate attorney in San Francisco, was being treated for an aggressive form of breast cancer. When her driver’s license expired, she had lost all of her hair, was practically bald, and understandably did not want to have her photo taken for her license renewal, a requirement at the time."
Innocence Commission urges District Attorney to allow it to continue
MISSION LOCAL, July 13, 2022 – Interim District Attorney Brooke Jenkins previously expressed support for the commission when she served as the assistant DA to Chesa Boudin. She later quit and helped to lead a campaign to recall her former boss.
The Innocence Commission, San Francisco City Hall, July 13, 2022.
From left: Charlie Nelson Keever (staff assistant), Dr. Michael Meade, Jacque Wilson (SF Deputy Public Defender), Professor Lara Bazalon (Chair of the Commission), Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell (Ret.), and Arcelia Hurtado (SF District Attorney, Managing Attorney). Photo credit: Christine Delianne
Assisted by a full-time, grant-funded staff attorney who works under the supervision of the University of San Francisco Law School’s Racial Justice Clinic, the Innocence Commission is dedicated to protecting the integrity of our legal system by creating a process through which wrongful convictions can be identified and reversed.
The City Where Investigations of Police Take So Long, Officers Kill Again Before Reviews Are Done
PROPUBLICA and OPEN VALLEJO, July 7, 2022 – “That’s the whole purpose of having a disciplinary process in place: to assess quickly whether or not officers have engaged in misconduct, and if they’re a threat to the public, to get them removed from the department and off the streets,” said Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell, a former Superior Court judge for the County of Santa Clara. From 2010 to 2015, Cordell served as the independent police auditor for the city of San Jose, which created the office in 1993 following the beating of Rodney King by the Los Angeles Police Department.
“What is happening in Vallejo is quite the opposite: It's just delay, delay. And with this delay there is no justice,” Cordell said.
Longstanding Grievances Between Prosecutor and Public Defender Boil Over in California DA Race. The election in Santa Clara County captures mounting tensions in California over what counts as meaningful criminal justice reform
BOLTS, February 10, 2022 – LaDoris Cordell, a retired state trial judge who has worked alongside Rosen and endorsed Khan, told Bolts that she finds many of Rosen’s policies inconsistent with his public persona. “You cannot claim to be a DA who cares about being progressive and oppose a bill that says you should not try 14- and 15-year-olds as adults,” she said. “They’re not compatible.” She further rebuked Rosen for a 2016 law he spearheaded that required a mandatory minimum prison sentence in cases of sexual assault of an unconscious victim. The law followed a public outcry over a judge’s perceived leniency in the case of Brock Turner, a Stanford student convicted of rape and sentenced to six months in jail followed by three years of probation. A mandatory minimum law, Cordell said, is “undoubtedly going to impact defendants of color more than it will white defendants.”
Secret file reveals ‘cover-up of a cover-up’ in unjustified police shooting, arrest of innocent man,
INSIDE INTERNAL AFFAIRS, February 10, 2022 – “This is all appalling,” said LaDoris Cordell, the retired California Superior Court judge, who reviewed internal affairs cases as San Jose’s independent police auditor from 2010 to 2015. “I really do believe that law enforcement and prosecutors in both counties were involved in a cover-up for the purpose of protecting their officers from criminal and civil liability.”
Inadequate Crisis Intervention Methods Fail Asian American victims
AsAmNews, February 3, 2022 – “The primary reason that law enforcement continues to be the first responders to calls about individuals in mental health crises is the lack of resources in communities to treat those with mental illness,” [LaDoris Cordell] told AsAmNews. “In-patient facilities are far and few between and in those units that do exist, there are insufficient beds to treat the many people in need of treatment.”
Cordell cited the tragic death of Michael Tyree, a 31-year-old man who was incarcerated in a Santa Clara County jail until beds in a mental health facility became available. Tyree, who suffered from bipolar disorder and addiction, was beaten to death by three jail guards in 2015.
When asked what was preventing the creation of a national, mental health task force, Cordell said, “A national mental health task force will likely do very little to solve this problem. Police departments are not under the direction or supervision of the federal government. Any recommendations from a national task force will be just that—recommendations and not requirements.”
“Given how police unions resist all reforms, not matter how small, and given the fact that these unions create culture of policing, change will have to come from the voters who can and should put pressure on politicians to fund treatment for the mentally ill,” Cordell concluded.
Authorities now say man police killed at SFO was carrying 2 airsoft guns. Why wasn’t that detail released earlier?
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, January 21, 2022 – “While the term ‘handgun’ can be defined in a number of ways, it’s misleading for police to withhold critical information about the guns — such as that they did not shoot real bullets,” said LaDoris Cordell, a retired Santa Clara County Superior Court judge and former watchdog for the San Jose police force.
“If we want to trust law enforcement, then law enforcement has to be honest, they have to be transparent, and they have to be accurate — especially when you have officer-involved shootings,” Cordell said. She added that it’s “unclear why the police department ... would go out of their way to keep this information away from the public,” even if officers did not know it at the moment the shooting occurred.”
Santa Clara University finds “no evidence” of bias when campus security stopped black professor
BAY AREA NEWS GROUP, August 18, 2021 – “My audit concluded with several concrete and doable recommendations to reimagine the department, in the hope that incidents like the one involving Professor Morgan will never happen again,” [retired judge LaDoris] Cordell said. “I continue to hope that my recommendations will be implemented as quickly as possible.”
Santa Clara County sheriff refuses to step down
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, August 17, 2021 – LaDoris Cordell, a retired judge and former independent San Jose police auditor, joined the mayor’s call for Smith’s resignation during the supervisors’ hearing. Cordell delivered a stinging rebuke of Smith, saying the county should not have to put up with “ineptitude that borders on criminal indifference.”
Santa Clara County sheriff pushes back against jail criticisms, rejects calls for resignation
BAY AREA NEWS GROUP, August 17, 2021 – Retired Judge LaDoris Cordell chaired the 2016 blue-ribbon commission behind those recommended reforms, topped by urging that the sheriff be removed from jail management. She renewed that Tuesday in calling for Smith’s resignation, calling current jail conditions a result of “ineptitude that borders on criminal indifference.”
UPDATE: Santa Clara County pursues investigation of sheriff
SAN JOSE SPOTLIGHT, August 17, 2021 – LaDoris Cordell, former chair of the Blue Ribbon Commission in 2016 that produced recommendations for improving oversight of the county jail, said nothing has changed in the jail system. “The one thing that has changed is that under the leadership of Laurie Smith, the operation of the jails has gotten worse,” Cordell said.
Jon Jacobo: Rape case could proceed, regardless of accuser’s wishes
MISSION LOCAL, August 10, 2021 – “The decision on whether to file charges is exclusively with the prosecutor — exclusively,” explained retired Superior Court Judge LaDoris Cordell. “Victims don’t file charges. And victims cannot stop prosecutors from filing charges.”
5 Palo Alto police officers sued over a Black Lives Matter mural. Some residents say they weren’t surprised
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, August 4, 2021 – When LaDoris Cordell was elected to the Palo Alto City Council in 2003, she began pressing for an independent police auditor, contending that the department needed more oversight. Cordell, who is Black, was troubled by what she characterized as a frequent sight: white officers standing over a Black or Latino person whom they had detained at the curb, in a city that is less than 2% Black and 6% Latino.
Sheriff Left Civilian Jail Watchdogs in Dark After Gang Beating of Police Informant
NBC BAY AREA, August 1, 2021 – Retired Santa Clara County Judge LaDoris Cordell, who chaired the county supervisor-appointed Blue-Ribbon Commission that recommended hundreds of jail reforms after Tyree was killed, says it’s clear Sheriff Smith and jail administration still need more oversight.
Surgeon’s DUI Case Lingering in Court
PRESSREADER, July 28, 2021 – For former Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Ladoris Cordell, the unusual length of the case rises to “an abuse of the criminal justice system” by a “high profile” surgeon with the money to pay for a protracted legal defense. When she reviewed the case summary, Cordell said she was “outraged” at how Mohler’s case has been allowed to hang around, calling it a “double standard.”
‘This is freaking ridiculous’: Britney Spears inspires lawmakers to tackle toxic conservatorships
POLITICO, 07/12/2021 – “Clearly, at some point, she needed help,” LaDoris Hazzard Cordell, a retired Santa Clara County Superior Court judge, said of Spears. “But then it was like the door was open to all these money-hungry people to use her as this cash cow.”
SF DA seeks to overturn wrongful convictions through ‘Innocence Commission’
MISSION LOCAL, September 18, 2020 – “I have dedicated my career to improving the fairness of our justice system,” Cordell said in a statement. “ I am looking forward to serving on the Innocence Commission, which will play a critical role in bolstering the integrity of our legal system by ensuring that wrongful convictions can be identified and reversed.”
‘What is it that they’re trying to hide?’ Senator asks of police blocking release of personnel files
KTVU, February 8, 2018 – Some departments have quickly determined that they have no sustained findings in any of the categories [...]drawing criticism from some skeptics like LaDoris Cordell, a retired judge and independent police auditor for San Jose. “They just police themselves,” she said. “Of course they’re going to say, ‘We did nothing wrong.’"
Activists Try to Recall Judge in Stanford Sex Attack Case. Some Say They’ve Gone Too Far
NEW YORK TIMES, February 2, 2018 – [LaDoris Cordell] said she is worried the recall effort could influence judges who might otherwise show leniency in criminal sentencing, undermining a longtime goal to decrease the prison population.
This is what happens when a black cop calls out racism in her own department
THE UNDEFEATED, December 9, 2017 – “I have never seen so much resistance to reform in a police department as I’ve seen in San Francisco,” said LaDoris H. Cordell, a retired California Superior Court judge who has worked on police oversight cases nationwide and served on the Blue Ribbon Panel.
Blowup over Brock Turner song
PALO ALTO DAILY POST, December 7, 2017 – “Should this recall succeed in removing a judge for making an unpopular decision, it will be harder for low-income defendants, most of whom are of color, and harder for those who advocate for them, to receive judicial consideration of mitigating circumstances,” said Cordell.
Stanford Law Professor Under Fire After Tweeting Anti-Brock Turner Song
KPIX 5, December 7, 2017, PALO ALTO – “I find that disturbing, horrifying and so inappropriate,” said Cordell. “Clearly, she’s demonstrated some very poor judgment, but she’s not stupid. No one with even a modicum of education would read the lyrics of that song and conclude it is satire and shouldn’t be taken seriously.”
Inmate’s Brutal Beating Death Spurs Scrutiny and Reform in Santa Clara County Jails
KQED, January 25, 2017 – “It took [the murder of Michael Tyree] to get things looked at the way any good leader should have looked at,” Cordell says. “There should have never been the necessity for a blue-ribbon commission if the person running the operations of the jail was truly paying attention and cared about what was going on.”
Kensington: Report shows officer improperly accessed director’s records but did not harass her
MERCURY NEWS, August 5, 2016 - Making a confidential report on allegations of police misconduct public is “very rare,” said Cordell. “This really stinks,” she said of the release. “In my view, it was clearly done to embarrass” Cordova.
San Francisco panel report calls for increased transparency, accountability at police department
MERCURY NEWS, July 11, 2016 – Cordell singled out the San Francisco Police Officers Association for what she said were efforts to prevent officers from speaking to the panel and its insistence that any racism reflects isolated incidents and not a problem with the larger culture of the department.
Panel Report Calls For Increased Transparency, Accountability At SFPD
SFGATE, July 11, 2016 – “The findings of this report show that for all practical purposes the San Francisco Police Department is really run by the Police Officers Association,” Cordell said. “The POA leadership sets the tone for the police department and historically it’s been an ugly one.”
Gascón’s panel: SFPD needs more training, tracking to fight bias
SFGATE, July 11, 2016 – “This city needs positive and healing leadership,” said Cordell. “All of these 81 recommendations can be implemented, and they can be implemented in our lifetimes. All it will require is the moral and political will to do so.”
Commission Presents Recommendations To Board On Improving Custody Operations
SFGATE, April 12, 2016 – She compared the jail's leadership to a plane on a long descent, crashing when Tyree was murdered. "While you might repair the jails and come up with a new and better operation, you still have a poor pilot," she said.
Sheriff: Intercepted inmate communique proves Santa Clara County Jail brawl was not clearly foreseeable
MERCURY NEWS, March 30, 2016 – Weary from being on the defensive and seeking to end speculation over a high-profile inmate brawl at the Main Jail, Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith has released an intercepted...
Deputy union accuses Santa Clara County sheriff of leaking internal info to preserve political prospects
MERCURY NEWS, March 28, 2016 – Sheriff Laurie Smith came under more fire over her handling of Santa Clara County’s troubled jails when the union for her rank-and-file deputies accused her Monday of...
Santa Clara County jail-reform commission urges scores of changes, including seizing sheriff’s command
MERCURY NEWS, March 25, 2016 – The jail-reform commission formed after three guards were charged with brutally murdering an inmate called on Saturday for Santa Clara County supervisors to seize control of...
San Jose State dormitory battering: Sentence of 30 days in jail or weekend work
MERCURY NEWS, March 14, 2016 - Two former San Jose State University students were sentenced Monday morning to 30 days in jail or weekend work for battering an African-American suitemate in their campus dormitory, while a...
Santa Clara County jails: Sheriff’s camera-shopping expedition creates unexpected fuss
MERCURY NEWS, March 13, 2016 – When Sheriff Laurie Smith whipped out her Costco card and bought some jail security cameras recently after learning that a plan to purchase a camera system through official channels could...
San Jose police formally adopt no-chokehold policy to alleviate community concerns
MERCURY NEWS, February 8, 2016 – In a gesture of transparency, the San Jose Police Department announced Monday it has formally banned the use of chokeholds to subdue a resistant suspect, a point of national controversy since the...
San Jose jail inmate’s death due to natural causes, not injuries from guards, autopsy concludes
MERCURY NEWS, January 9, 2016 – A mentally ill inmate who died at the Santa Clara County Main Jail in September, a week after being forcibly removed from his cell by guards who shot him with plastic projectiles...
Santa Clara County to beef up jail spending after beating death
MERCURY NEWS, December 15, 2015 – “For [the county and Sheriff Laurie Smith] to seek cover under the recession is shameful,” said Cordell, chairwoman of the blue-ribbon commission appointed by the county Board of Supervisors to study jail conditions and treatment of inmates. “This is about attention not being paid to officers running amok, writing racist texts and beating up people – and to inmates’ complaints. They need to step up and take responsibility.”
Jail abuse: Santa Clara County commission hears complaints that guards retaliate about inmates who file grievances
MERCURY NEWS, December 5, 2015 – At the end of another week of shocking claims against Santa Clara County correctional officers — including an allegation that a dozen guards exchanged racist text messages...
Racist texts at center of probe of dozen Santa Clara County jail guards
MERCURY NEWS, December 3, 2015 – At least a dozen guards in Santa Clara County’s troubled jails repeatedly exchanged racist text messages over the past year — mixing vile slurs with casual brutality, and even sharing images of...
Santa Clara County: Sheriff pledges more jail supervision after ‘cluster’ of force complaints
MERCURY NEWS, December 2, 2015 – A group of newer, inexperienced correctional officers at Santa Clara County’s beleaguered Main Jail are responsible for an alarming number of excessive force complaints, Sheriff Laurie Smith said...
San Jose State sued for wrongful death in student suicide case
MERCURY NEWS, May 10, 2015 – LaDoris Cordell, the head of that task force, had previously said the circumstances of Tiggs’ death raised additional questions about whether the university is adequately safeguarding students who live in its seven dorms.
Privacy and transparency issues raised over Santa Clara County’s push to get phone tracker
MERCURY NEWS, February 20, 2015 – Civil libertarians and at least one county supervisor said Friday the sheriff’s department was far too stealthy in its plans to acquire a portable cellphone tracking system, offering little...
Internal Affairs: San Jose police auditor LaDoris Cordell calls for abolition of criminal grand juries
MERCURY NEWS, December 13, 2014 – San Jose’s independent police auditor has joined the chorus criticizing the grand jury process in light of decisions by grand juries in Ferguson, Missouri, and Staten Island, New York, not to...
Ex-Coach Sentenced for Sex Crimes / Man given 3 1/2 years, despite leniency pleas from many supporters
SFGATE, January 28, 1999 – A former Cupertino High School football coach was sentenced yesterday to nearly 3 1/2 years in state prison for molesting two teenage girls, though more than 100 supporters, including former...
Her honor, the artist – Superior Court judge LaDoris Cordell opens her first exhibit
PALO ALTO ONLINE | January 5, 1996 – "Chiaroscuro: An Exhibition of Works on Paper" opened with a reception; all proceeds from purchased works will be donated to the Support Network for Battered Women's crisis services for African-American women and their children.
