Ethics expert joins Commission on Judicial Performance

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench began her term Wednesday as a member of the Commission on Judicial Performance.

She was appointed by the state Supreme Court.

Lench, a 17-year veteran of the court who now presides over complex criminal cases, begins her four-year term succeeding Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Erica R. Yew, according to the Judicial Branch of California.

She is one of two state court judges selected by the Supreme Court to serve on the 11-member commission responsible for disciplinary actions against judicial officers at the state trial, appellate and Supreme Court level.

Lench's judicial ethics background includes serving as a member, chair and vice chair of the California Judges Association Judicial Ethics Committee.

She teaches ethics for the Center for Judicial Education and Research, and for the Los Angeles County Superior Court's orientation for new judges. Last year, she served on the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Code of Judicial Ethics, the judicial branch said.

Prior to serving on the bench, Lench was a deputy chief for the narcotics division of the U.S. attorney's office for the Central District. She graduated from Loyola Law School.

The commission is in the middle of a two-year court battle over opening its books to an audit following criticism for how it investigates and levies penalties on judges accused of misconduct. Recently, a report by a state auditor recommended splitting up the commission into an investigative arm and an adjudicative arm. The California Judges Association has supported the audit of the commission.

Other members of the commission include a Court of Appeal justice appointed by the state's high court, two attorneys appointed by the governor, and six non-lawyer citizens: two appointed by the governor, two a by the Senate Committee on Rules and two by the speaker of the Assembly.