Embattled Placer County Superior Court Judge Joseph O'Flaherty announced today that he will not seek a new six-year term in the upcoming June election.
In September, the state commission overseeing judicial conduct issued a public censure of O'Flaherty -- the stiffest punishment available, short of removal from office.
It was the second time the state Commission on Judicial Performance has publicly disciplined O'Flaherty.
O'Flaherty said that ruling didn't cause him to not seek to return to the bench. He said it would have given an opponent some ammunition but he remained confident.
"It wasn't the key factor," O'Flaherty said of the ruling. "I don't think anybody could have beat me."
He said after 24 years on the bench his heart wasn't in for another six years of service.
The most recent discipline stems from a 2008 small-claims case between Golden 1 Credit Union and a car dealer. The commission, on an 11-0 vote, decided that O'Flaherty had overstepped his authority.
O'Flaherty said he would be supporting Placer County Prosecutor Garen Horst. Horst is the only other candidate to have taken out papers to run for the office.
"I think he's a fabulous attorney and I think he'll make a fabulous judge," O'Flaherty said of Horst.
As a Superior Court judge, O'Flaherty earns $178,000 annually. He was elected the first time in 1988.
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