A write-in candidate has qualified to oppose embattled Sacramento Superior Court Judge Peter J. McBrien on the Nov. 4 ballot.
Matthew J. Smith, 46, submitted 20 valid signatures to qualify as the write-in candidate, according to spokesman Brad Buyse of the county elections office. Smith is a lead appellate attorney for California's Third District Court of Appeal, according to a press release he issued.
McBrien has come under fire for his handling of family law cases and was the subject of an unsuccessful recall attempt.
The state Commission on Judicial Performance, meanwhile, is conducting a formal inquiry into McBrien's handling of three cases.
