Retired Los Angeles Judge David Rothman, a veteran jurist who literally wrote the book on judicial ethics in California, died Tuesday in Berkeley, the Judicial Council announced. He was 87.

Rothman wrote three editions of the California Judicial Conduct Handbook between 1989 and 2005 and contributed to the fourth edition published in 2018. The tome is a mainstay of on- and off-the-bench guidance for judges on compliance with canons and ethics decisions from the California Supreme Court and the Commission on Judicial Performance.

His writings are regularly cited in discipline decisions by the CJP. Between August 2023 and May, the commission referenced his admonitions on issues including judicial temperament and work habits in five public decisions.

“During his time on the bench, Judge Rothman was a highly regarded jurist and served with distinction on the Los Angeles court. But he will ultimately be remembered for his unparalleled leadership in judicial education, particularly his contributions to judicial ethics,” Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero said in a statement released by her office.

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