Already disciplined once, CJP publicly admonishes Los Angeles Debra Archuleta

 

Today, the California Commission on Judicial Performance issued a press release and statement regarding the public admonishment of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Debra R. Archuleta.

"On July 2, 2025, Judge Archuleta waived her right to formal proceedings under rule 114 and to review by the Supreme Court and demanded an appearance before the commission. On November 26, 2025, Judge Archuleta withdrew her objections and demand for an appearance before the commission and determined not to contest the issuance of the public admonishment."

"Judge Archuleta has been a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2017. Her current term began in 2023. The commission found that Judge Archuleta engaged in a pattern of discourteous, undignified, and impatient behavior, in seven matters; engaged in independent investigation; initiated an ex parte communication; and conducted off-the-record discussions concerning substantive matters without properly preserving the record."

"The commission found Judge Archuleta’s misconduct was aggravated by prior discipline. In February 2023, the commission privately admonished Judge Archuleta for conduct in four matters spanning September 2020 through February 2021. The commission found the judge denied litigants the opportunity to be heard; was discourteous; made remarks that gave the appearance of bias and prejudgment, and that she was ruling out of pique, in making a decision to vacate an order returning a child to his parents’ custody, deny the parents reunification services, and set a hearing to terminate parental rights; improperly threatened to have a caregiver removed from the courtroom; and disregarded fundamental rights and abused her authority when she failed to review a case file before holding a hearing and issuing an order. The commission found the judge’s conduct violated canons 2A, 3B(2), 3B(4), 3B(7), and 3B(8). The commission noted it considered in mitigation that Judge Archuleta engaged in the misconduct within the first six months of her assignment to dependency court and before she attended formal dependency training. 

The 25 page detailed statement is available on the CJP website.