On Tuesday, January 21, 2025, a concerned citizen published an opinion piece on the Metropolitan News-Enterprise website addressing ethical concerns regarding Los Angeles Superior Court Judge George A. Turner Jr. The article highlights an incident in which Turner reportedly solicited donations at the Beckman Yola Center in Inglewood, seeking gift cards for what he described as support for “friends and family who have lost so much in the fires.”
The Beckman Yola Center is known for its free after-school program aimed at providing music education to students from low-income backgrounds. However, the piece raises questions about the appropriateness of Turner’s solicitation, particularly in relation to Canon 4C(3)(d)(iv) of the California Code of Judicial Ethics. This canon explicitly states that judges must not use the prestige of their judicial office for fundraising purposes.
The opinion piece notes that the timing of Turner’s solicitation coincided with a significant increase in homelessness in the city, attributed to wildfires that had devastated many areas. The writer criticized the judge’s actions as potentially undermining the integrity expected of his position.
Turner was elected to the bench in November 2024. As part of his candidacy, he was required to complete a judicial ethics course, which raises further concerns about his understanding of ethical standards expected from judicial officers.
Source: Metropolitan News-Enterprise
