August 1, 2018

Southwestern Professor professes his love for consensus-driven policy making and comic books in Los Angeles Daily Journal profile.

Southwestern Adjunct Professor Judge Scott Gordon '85 has a tough job. As the master calendar judge for Los Angeles County’s Department 100, supervising judge for the county’s criminal division, and a member of California’s Judicial Council, Gordon plays a critical role in shaping policy for the largest court system in the country. In an in-depth profile, The Los Angeles Daily Journal speaks with Gordon and a close circle of his colleagues, many of whom describe him as a “consensus builder” with a “great feel for the justice system,” to get to the heart of what makes Gordon such an effectual and productive judge.

The source of Judge Gordon’s nascent passion for justice came from an unlikely source: science fiction literature and comic books, which instilled a sense of optimism and fairness amid a chaotic and often calamitous world.

“I think when you’re a kid and you’re reading Heinlein and Asimov and Philip K. Dick back then, not only were they interesting, they were hopeful in a sense,” Judge Gordon said. “Some of them were dark, but there was often a message of hope.”

According to Gordon, that’s a feeling he can relate to as a judge.

Judge Gordon is effusive in his praise for Southwestern, where he has worked for 27 years, crediting his work at the school for helping instill a perspective that allows him to view legal issues from the vantage point of a judge, rather than an advocate.

The Los Angeles Daily Journal subscribers can read the full article here.