Mendel Jerome Pacht (January 24, 1922 – April 1, 1997) was an American judge who served on the California

Superior Court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

. Pacht proclaimed himself an "activist" and was known for dismissing a charge of

public drunkenness Public intoxication, also known as "drunk and disorderly" and "drunk in public", is a summary offense in certain countries related to public cases or displays of drunkenness. Public intoxication laws vary widely by jurisdiction, but usually requi ...

against a defendant, ruling that

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

was a disease and not a crime.Myrna Oliver, "Jerry Pacht: L.A. Judge, Member of Judicial Commission," ''Los Angeles Times,'' April 4, 1997
/ref> Pacht was born in Los Angeles and earned a bachelor's degree at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, worked briefly at

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

, then joined the Army as a lieutenant during World War II. He had a desire to become a singer, but instead earned a

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Some law degrees are professional degrees that are prerequisites or serve as preparation for legal careers. These generally include the Bachelor of Civil Law, Bachelor of Laws, an ...

at USC after the war. He became a litigation lawyer, specializing in publishing and entertainment. He twice ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a Democrat and was chairman of the Los Angeles County Democratic Central Committee. He headed the legal committee of the county branch of the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...

and was also in charge of the local legal defense fund of the

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

. Pacht was named by Governor Edmund G. (Pat) Brown to the Los Angeles

Municipal Court A city court or municipal court is a court of law with jurisdiction limited to a city or other municipality. It typically addresses "violations of city ordinances and may also have jurisdiction over minor criminal cases...and over certain civil cas ...

in 1965 and elevated to the

bench the next year. His rulings. which amounted to 135 in number, included: * A decision in municipal court that alcoholism or

was not a crime, but a disease. He was overruled on

appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which Legal case, cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of cla ...

, but he "proudly noted that his ruling influenced legislation to set up

detoxification Detoxification or detoxication (detox for short) is the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver. Additionally, it can refer to the period o ...

centers and was reprinted in the ''

Congressional Record The ''Congressional Record'' is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published by the United States Government Publishing Office and issued when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record Ind ...

.''" * Striking down a University of California policy against the hiring of Communists when he forbade the UC

Board of Regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual co ...

from firing philosophy instructor

Angela Davis Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American Marxist and feminist political activist, philosopher, academic, and author. She is Distinguished Professor Emerita of Feminist Studies and History of Consciousness at the University of ...

from her job at

. The ruling prompted a recall effort, which failed. * Invalidation of a 90-year-old " claim and delivery" law, which had permitted law-enforcement officers to seize

personal property Personal property is property that is movable. In common law systems, personal property may also be called chattels or personalty. In civil law (legal system), civil law systems, personal property is often called movable property or movables—a ...

when installment debtors fell behind in their payments. He said the debtor had a right to contest in court any seizure of property. * Upholding the right of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' to

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...

Mayor

Sam Yorty Samuel William Yorty (October 1, 1909 – June 5, 1998) was an American politician, attorney, and radio host from Los Angeles, California. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and the California State Assembly, ...

during an election campaign. Yorty lost an appeal to the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

. * Judge Pacht also ruled that periodic tenancies required good cause for termination, despite state law allowing termination for any or no reason. Under AB1482, eff. January 1, 2020, tenancy terminations require just cause, as specified. His vision has also materialized at the legislative level.

Personal life

Pacht was the son of judge Isaac Pacht and Rose (''née'' Rudolph). He was married to Judith Pacht. He died of a

cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as hemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain (i.e. the parenchyma), into its ventricles, or into both. An ICH is a type of bleeding within the skull and one kind of stro ...

on April 1, 1997, in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pacht, Jerry 1922 births 1997 deaths Lawyers from Los Angeles University of California, Los Angeles alumni UCLA School of Law alumni United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army officers California state court judges California Democrats American Civil Liberties Union people 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century California state court judges Activists from California