Hon. David Horowitz (Ret.)

Education & Legal Experience

• UCLA School of Law, JD, 1966.
• University of California at Berkeley, B.A. Economics, 1963.
• Judge Horowitz also has education and experience in the home inspection industry.
• Los Angeles County Deputy Public Defender, 1966-1980.

While in law school, Judge Horowitz was active as Chair of the Professor Lecture Series Program and the Student-Faculty Relations Committee and a member of the Executive Committee of the Student Bar Association. He was President of the Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity.

He is a past President of the Barristers of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and served on the LACBA Board of Trustees for many years. He helped develop the Landlord/Tenant Settlement Officers Program with the Los Angeles Municipal Court; assisted in the development of Public Counsel; helped to develop extensive lawyer education programs; and served on the first Judicial Evaluation Committee of the LACBA.

Judicial Experience

• Judge, Los Angeles Superior Court, 1981-2002; Assignments in Pasadena, Van Nuys (criminal, followed by law & motion/writs & receivers), Central Criminal (3 years as Supervising Judge of Criminal Division), and Central Civil (13 years).
• Judge, Los Angeles Municipal Court, 1980-1981

Awards

• ABA Excellence in State Justice Initiatives Award – 1999
• Judge of the Year Award, Criminal Courts Bar Association – 1986

Legal Activities & Community Affairs

• 2021-2022   Member, Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE), State Bar of California
• 2013-Present   Council Member, ABA Section of Dispute Resolution
• 2010-2011   Chair-Elect, ABA Lawyers Conference, Judicial Division Member, Executive Committee, ABA Lawyers Conference
• 2001-2003   ABA Judicial Division Liaison to the ABA Section of International Law
• 2001-2002   Member, Advisory Council to the ABA Standing Committee on Judicial Independence and Special Advisor to the ABA Commission on the 21st Century Judiciary
• 2003-2005   Council Member, ABA Section of Dispute Resolution
• 1990-2002   Member, Law and Justice Committee, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
• 1997-2002   ABA Judicial Division Liaisons to the ABA Section of Litigation: Helped to draft and implement ABA Civil Trial Practice Standards and ABA Civil Discovery Standards; developed and participated in Education programs for civil litigators and judges; represented the Interests of the judiciary in developing programs with the 60,000 member Section of Litigation.
• 2000-2001   Chair, ABA Judicial Division Established the Judges Network, a national judicial/community outreach program; developed significant judicial education programs, including Mediation for Judges, the training of judges in the art of mediation; civil discovery and trial practice standards; and developed national programs to improve the fair administration of justice, including the adoption of ABA Judicial Retirement Standards.
• 1996-1997   Chair, ABA National Conference of State Trial Judges, Judicial Division
• 1994-1996   Co-Chair, ABA National Conference of Lawyers and Representatives of the Media: the Conference developed, together with representatives of the newspaper, radio and television industry, joint education programs; standards for news coverage of the justice system; and published The Reporters Key, intended to explain the ABA’s Criminal Justice Standards for Fair Trial and Free Press so that journalists will know the concerns of and constraints on the legal/judicial system.
• 1994-1996   Member, BAJI Committee: drafted and adopted civil jury instructions.
• 1990-1993   Member, Commission on the Future of the California Courts (appointed by Chief Justice Malcolm M. Lucas) The Commission published Justice in the Balance 2020, the Commissions’ vision of justice in the 21st Century.
• 1988-1990   Vice-Chair, CALJIC Committee: drafted and adopted criminal jury instructions