PASADENA, Calif. — During a preliminary hearing setting Monday at the Pasadena Courthouse, Judge Kerry L. White displayed what appeared to be hostility toward private counsel attorney Jaqueline Davalos and both of her clients, raising concerns about courtroom decorum and the treatment of accused individuals.
Both accused individuals were arrested Oct. 22, 2025, and charged with one count of grand theft of money, labor or property and one count of trespassing on food production property, the first a felony and the second a misdemeanor.
The preliminary hearing setting began with Judge White attempting to give both accused individuals 12 months of probation and the condition that they not step foot into a Target in Los Angeles County. Attorney Jaqueline Davalos, however, explained they had been offered six months of probation by Deputy District Attorney Marlene Sanchez.
When Judge White, in response, stated that he was not comfortable with six months of probation, Attorney Davalos said she could provide the email from DDA Sanchez that would confirm what she had claimed earlier.
Judge White said, “I’m the one who sets probation.”
Attorney Davalos asked if she would be able to speak to her clients, as they had gone the whole weekend believing they would receive only six months of probation.
After speaking with her clients, Attorney Davalos confirmed that the accused individuals were willing to move forward with the 12 months of probation.
As the hearing began to come to a close, Judge White conducted a colloquy, ensuring that the accused individuals understood their rights, charges and pleas. As he went down the list, Judge White would pause and wait for each of the accused individuals to provide a yes-or-no response.
Midway through the colloquy, Judge White stopped the hearing and asked, “Why am I only getting one response?”
Both the translator for the accused individuals and Attorney Davalos reported that the accused individuals were both responding.
Judge White said, “I’m getting nothing out of her mouth,” while pointing at one of the accused individuals.
Attorney Davalos once again confirmed that the accused individuals were both responding and even offered to have them look up while responding to him.
Blatant hostility in the courtroom lays the foundation for an unsuitable environment for justice. Difficult judges can create barriers for various parties, possibly inhibiting the justice process that is deserved by all who enter the courtroom.
While the felony charge was dismissed, the accused individuals pleaded nolo contendere, meaning they neither admitted nor denied the charge but accepted the court’s punishment, to the misdemeanor.
Tags: Pasadena Courthouse, Kerry L. White, Court Watch, courtroom conduct, probation agreement, misdemeanor plea
