Judge GEO TRAMMELL:  

I ATTENDED POLY HI FROM 1951 TO 1954. I PLAYED BASKETBALL ALL THREE YEARS, LETTERING IN MY JR. AND SR. YEARS. THIS WAS BACK IN THE DAYS WHEN 6 FOOT WHITE GUYS WERE ALLOWED TO PLAY. I WAS SPORTS EDITOR FOR THE CAERULEA; AND A MEMBER OF CSF ALL THREE YEARS. UPON GRADUATION, I ENROLLED IN STANFORD UNIVERSITY, IN THEIR ENGINEERING DEPT. IN MY SOPH. YEAR, I SWITCHED MAJORS FROM ENGINEERING TO BUSINESS AND TRANSFERRED TO U.S.C. AT U.S.C. I AFFILIATED WITH SIGMA CHI FRATERNITY. I GRADUATED IN 1958 AND ENTERED U.S.C. SCHOOL OF LAW. UPON GRADUATION FROM LAW SCHOOL, I PASSED THE STATE BAR EXAM THE FIRST TRY AND WENT TO WORK FOR THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AS A DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY. DURING MY TENURE AS A DDA I SUCCESSFULLY PROSECUTED 26 HOMICIDE CASES WITH 22 FIRST DEGREE CONVICTIONS, 4 CONVICTIONS OF SECOND DEGREE MURDER; AND 3 DEATH PENALTY VERDICTS. MANY OF OF THOSE TRIALS INVOLVED ISSUES OF DIMINISHED CAPACITY AND/OR SANITY. IN 1967 I OBTAINED THE FIRST CONVICTION IN THE NATION ON THE THEORY OF "MURDER BY FRIGHT." IN 1970 I WAS APPOINTED TO THE POSITION OF HEAD DEPUTY AND PLACED IN CHARGE OF A MAJOR DIVISION OF THE OFFICE. I WAS THE YOUNGEST DEPUTY IN TERMS OF BOTH AGE AND LENGTH OF SERVICE TO ACHIEVE THAT POSITION. DURING MY TENURE AS A PROSECUTOR I SERVED ON THE CALIFORNIA COUNCIL ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE. I PARTICIPATED IN AN AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION PROJECT THAT CRITICALLY EXAMINED THE "PROSECUTION FUNCTION IN THE UNITED STATES." I SPENT 6 MONTHS IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK EVALUATING THAT BOROUGH'S PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE. I THEN TOOK THE POSITION OF SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE ATTORNEY ON MAYOR JOSEPH ALIATO'S SAN FRANCISCO CRIME COMMISSION, EXAMINING THAT CITY/COUNTY'S DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THE MUNICIPAL AND SUPERIOR COURTS OF SAN FRANCISCO. IN 1971 I WAS APPOINTED JUDGE OF THE LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR COURT. DURING MY 26 YEARS ON "THE BENCH" I SERVED 17 YEARS ON THE MUNICIPAL COURT AND THE LAST 9 YEARS ON THE SUPERIOR COURT. I WAS PRESIDING JUDGE OF THE MUNICIPAL COURT IN 1986-88; SUPERVISING THE BENCH OFFICERS IN 113 COURTROOMS LOCATED IN 10 COURTHOUSES SPREAD THRU OUT THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES. AMONG THE CASES I PRESIDED OVER DURING MY 26 YEAR JUDICIAL CAREER, WERE THE lOCKHEED TUNNEL BLAST CASE, MY HOLDING THAT THE MUNICIPAL COURT'S JURY SELECTION PROCESS WAS CONSTITUTIONALLY FLAWED, MY HOLDING THAT SESSIONS OF COURT CAN NOT BE CLOSED TO THE PRESS, MY HOLDING THAT THE LOS ANGELES CITY ATTORNEY AND LAPD ILLEGALLY DESTROYED EVIDENCE POTENTIALLY FAVORABLE TO DEFENDANTS THEREBY DEPRIVING THEM OF DUE PROCESS OF LAW, THE DEVELOPMENT OF CURB-STONE SEARCH WARRENTS IN THE HOLLYWOOD PORNO RAIDS OF 1972 AND ALLOWING THE USE OF VIDEO RECORDATION OF TESTIMONY IN THE TRIAL COURTROOM. IN THE 1990'S I BECAME VERY ACTIVE IN THE USE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY IN THE TRIAL COURTROOM. I CREATED AND DEVELOPED CT/CM, A CASE TRACKING-O-CALENDAR MANAGEMENT APPLICATION THAT WAS USED IN THE CRIMINAL DIVISION OF THE LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR COURT. I PARTICIPATED IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN OF REALTIME C...Expand for more