Stephen Lachs

Stephen Michael Lachs (born September 1939) served as a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court from 1979 to 1999. He was the first openly gay judge appointed in the United States[2][3] and is thought to be the first openly gay judge appointed anywhere in the world.[3][4]

Stephen Lachs
Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court
In office
September 17, 1979 – October 3, 1999
Appointed byJerry Brown
Personal details
Born
Stephen Michael Lachs[1]

September 1939 (age 81)
Alma materUniversity of California, Los Angeles (B.A., LL.B.)

Early life and education

Lachs received a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1960 and an LL.B. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 1963.[5][6]

Judicial service

From 1975 to 1979, Lachs served as a commissioner of the Los Angeles County Superior Court.[6] In 1979, Lachs received a judicial appointment to the Los Angeles County Superior Court from Jerry Brown, who was beginning his second term as Governor of California.[2] Brown had completed his first term as governor without appointing any openly gay people to any position, but he cited the failed 1978 Briggs Initiative, which sought to ban homosexuals from working in California's public schools, for his increased support of gay rights.[2]

Lachs retired from the bench on October 3, 1999.[3][7]

Michael Jackson custody dispute

After retiring from the bench, Lachs worked for Action Dispute Resolution Services, a private company that offers mediation services for civil disputes.[8] In 1999, Lachs was hired as a private judge by singer Michael Jackson and his ex-wife Debbie Rowe to mediate their custody dispute.[9] Lachs granted Rowe's 2001 request to terminate her parental rights,[10] but subsequently reversed that decision during a 2005 hearing.[11] In December 2005, Lachs recused himself from the case after being accused by Jackson's lawyers of bias against Jackson.[12]

References
  1. "Stephen Michael Lachs". Martindale. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  2. Clendinen, Dudley; Nagourney, Adam (1999). Out for Good: The Struggle to Build a Gay Rights Movement in America. Simon & Schuster. pp. 411–412. ISBN 978-0-684-81091-1.
  3. Nation's 1st Openly Gay Judge to Retire, Los Angeles Times (September 2, 1999).
  4. Faderman, Lillian; Timmons, Stuart. Gay L.A.: a history of sexual outlaws, power politics, and lipstick lesbians. University of California Press. p. 197. ISBN 978-0-520-26061-0.
  5. Stephen M. Lachs - Lawyer Profile, Martindale.
  6. Hon. Stephen M. Lachs Profile - ADR Services, Inc.
  7. Transitions - Retired: Stephen M. Lachs, The Advocate (October 12, 1999).
  8. Michael Jackson, ex-wife hire family law judge, CNN (February 25, 2004).
  9. Jessica Garrison, Jackson, Ex-Wife Reach Settlement in Custody Fight, Los Angeles Times (September 30, 2006).
  10. Jessica Garrison, Case Reopens Debate on Private Judges, Los Angeles Times, (September 6, 2006).
  11. Mike Celizic, What will happen to Michael Jackson’s kids?, MSNBC (June 26, 2009).
  12. Roger Friedman, Michael Jackson's Secret Papers Revealed, Fox News (September 22, 2006).
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