Commissioner Torres takes oath of office

Jazmine Torres, formerly an Orange County public defender, officially took the oath of office as commissioner for San Bernardino Superior Court on Jan. 16. Commissioners are judicial officers who are appointed by vote of a court's existing judges. Twenty-five spectators attended the event, including nine judges, her husband and her family. Yoko Mai Townsend, Torres' friend, spoke first. "For years, Jazmine has always talked about wanting to be a commissioner due to the importance of ensuring that law was being properly implemented, and all individuals are being treated the same no matter their wealth, occupation, sex or nationality," Townsend said. "People who are not in the legal field may not realize how difficult the duties of a commissioner are. The job requires more than knowing the law. As an attorney, I witnessed the challenges commissioners face on a daily basis. This includes pressures of having to deal with a high volume of cases that pertain to complex issues along with having to make decisions on a quick basis, the requirement to ensure the rulings are not only based on proper implementation of the law, but also the challenge it is to ensure that decisions are not affected by their emotions or their personal beliefs. While some of these qualities can be learned over a period of time, others cannot because they are qualities that a person has, because they are character traits. If anyone can verify that Jazmine has all the qualities that are necessary to be an exceptional commissioner, with all the qualifications, it is me. I have known Jazmine since the first day of law school, which amazingly, has been more than twenty six years," Townsend said. Former supervisor and mentor Douglas Laboto spoke to Torres' unflagging focus and personal interest. "She was very quiet, very shy, but would be listening. Other people would not be listening," he said of her during her training in the public defender's office. "She became one of my quick ones, because I could see she could handle the most difficult of clients. When I say the most difficult of clients, there are some who say, 'I don't want to talk to you because you're not a lawyer.' Others who would not like women—there are lot of those who do not like women," Laboto said. Torres herself gave a short speech: "I want to say thank you for everyone that came out and is here supporting me. My family that's here. My colleagues that came. Thank you for the kind words. I want to thank the San Bernardino bench for giving me this opportunity. I will make everyone proud." "We know that you will," said Presiding Judge Rod Cortez. "Is that all you have to say?" Cortez thanked Torres for choosing San Bernardino County. "We are so proud you selected us," he said.