Divorce Court Judge Has Task of Presiding Over Judicial Family

Superior Court Judge Robert C. Bradley was just passing through when he took his first job as an attorney in 1969.

“I never thought I would stay in Ventura County,” Bradley said.

The former Army lieutenant was fresh out of Vietnam when he took a job in the local district attorney’s office. The way Bradley saw it, he would spend a few years getting seasoned before returning to his native San Diego to practice law and golf--not particularly in that order.

But a funny thing happened to him on his way to the first tee at Torrey Pines: Bradley quickly ascended Ventura County’s legal ladder.

The 54-year-old Bradley is on Gov. Pete Wilson’s short list for elevation to the Court of Appeal, and tonight his colleagues will name him presiding judge of the Ventura County Superior Court during their annual dinner.

The designation is at once an honor and a burden.

As presiding judge, he becomes point man for his colleagues for two years.

But he must also juggle the egos of 14 other judges, and assign them courtrooms and cases while still hearing cases himself.

Not an easy task, outgoing presiding Judge Melinda A. Johnson said.

Bradley’s duty will be to “manage people who have no intention of being managed,” said Johnson, who will gladly hand over the job. “I’m counting every minute to it,” she said.

To be named presiding judge is akin to getting the old maid’s card.

“In theory, it’s a voluntary job-- nobody can force you to do it,” Johnson said. “Your turn just kind of bubbles to the surface.”

Bradley, a 12-year veteran of the bench, is being appointed because he served as Johnson’s assistant presiding judge the last two years. Superior Court Judge Charles W. Campbell Jr.--who will be named Bradley’s assistant--is next in line.

Municipal Court Judge Barry B. Klopfer will be named presiding judge of the 13-jurist lower court.

“Nobody wants the job,” said David Praver, a Ventura family law attorney who sits occasionally as a temporary Superior Court judge. “It’s a tough job that is usually given to a judge by default.” The appointment will require Bradley to give up time on the bench and at home.

At work, he will mediate civil lawsuits before they go to trial while doling out cases to his colleagues. Even with the heavy new schedule, his work day will be less hectic than it has been for three years as master of the controlled chaos of divorce court.

“This is definitely a step up for him,” said Dodie Bradley, his wife of 15 years and no stranger to the courts. She is an experienced court reporter, who transcribes proceedings in local courts.

“Family court can be hellacious,” she said. “There are so many unreasonable arguments.”

At his Ojai home, the new job will cut into Bradley’s gardening and golf and time with his wife and children. “There was no debate in naming him presiding judge,” Johnson said. “I think the only real debate raged in his mind because he has three young daughters at home.”

But Bradley said he is looking forward to the job.

“It will be something new for me,” he said. “I like new challenges.”

Serving as presiding judge is one of the few judicial positions Bradley has not held in his time on the bench.

Gov. Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr. appointed the Hastings Law School graduate to the Municipal Court in 1983. Gov. George Deukmejian elevated Bradley to the Superior Court in 1984.

Over the last decade, he has presided over everything from murder trials to divorces. He calls divorce court his toughest assignment.

Bradley gets high marks from family law attorneys, Praver said: “He is an excellent judge.” But the tensions of the job were beginning to show on Bradley, he said.

“It is a high-stress calendar to handle,” Praver said. “No judge should sit in family law for more than two years. It was time for him to move on.”

Family law attorney Peter Dowler, who started out in the district attorney’s office with Bradley, said the judge’s service in divorce court will serve him well as presiding judge.

“He exercises an extreme amount of patience in family law court,” Dowler said. “Politically, he will need to exercise the same patience.”

As presiding judge, Bradley is the ultimate arbitrator when it comes to assigning civil and criminal responsibilities, scheduling vacations and dividing the court’s case load.

“The PJ is one of the most important assignments,” Bradley said. Aside from assuring that the courts are running smoothly day to day, the presiding judge oversees the grand jury and picks its foreman.

In 1996, Bradley must also pick two judges to staff the Simi Valley courthouse. Two Superior Court judges were assigned to that courthouse for the first time two weeks ago, but the assignments are temporary.

“There will be a lot of disruption and commotion until we get that straightened out,” Johnson said.

But Bradley is not fearful. He has heard it all. While not exactly sure what he is getting into, he believes it’s better than what he is leaving.

“In criminal court, you see the worst people on their best behavior,” he said. “In family law, you see the best people on their worst behavior.”