By Greg Mitchell

How does a Democrat get appointed to the court of appeal by George Deukmejian and made a presiding justice by Pete Wilson? Be a former district attorney and take a dead-on centrist approach to judging, would appear to be the answer for Sixth District PJ Christopher Cottle.

Cottle is no flaming liberal, but he's made some courageous rulings at the Sixth District. He was one of the first appellate judges in the state to declare that judges retained discretion to strike priors under Three Strikes and You're Out People v. Superior Court (O'Donnell), 49 Cal.App.4th 194), a position ultimately vindicated by the California Supreme Court. He also rejected the Santa Clara DA's claim that it was exempt from the Pitchess procedure for developing evidence of peace officer misconduct.

A Recorder survey of cases from 1994-96 showed that Cottle's Sixth District was the most frequently reversed of any districts in the state. The six-judge panel had 15 rulings reversed in that time, with Cottle accounting for three of them.

Confirmed by electorate Nov. 8, 1994 (uncompleted portion of predecessor's 12-year term) and reconfirmed by electorate Nov. 3, 1998.