Tryfman seeks LA Superior Court seat in Office 131 race

Donna Tryfman, a senior trial counsel at the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office since 1998, is running for Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge, Office 131. The nonpartisan seat is on the Tuesday, Nov. 3, general election ballot. David Ross is also running for the seat.

Asked why she is running, Tryfman said in our candidate questionnaire, "I believe public service is about showing up, listening carefully, and making sure that the people who depend on our public institutions are treated with fairness, dignity, and respect." She added, "LA deserves judges who are experienced, fair, accessible, and committed to equal justice."

Candidate information

Party affiliation: "Registered Democrat," Tryfman said in our questionnaire. The race is nonpartisan.

Education: "Brandeis University: BA in English & American Literature, Minor in Legal Studies" and "University of La Verne School of Law: JD," Tryfman said in our questionnaire.

Family: "I am the daughter of immigrants and the child of Holocaust survivors," Tryfman said in our questionnaire. "My parents came to America carrying the experience of what happens when people lose the protection of law and institutions. They taught me never to take democracy, constitutional rights, or the rule of law for granted." She added, "I am also a widow and single mother."

Experience and public service

Occupation and work history: "I earned my B.A. in English and American Literature/Legal Studies from Brandeis University in 1989 and law degree from the University of La Verne in 1994," Tryfman said in our questionnaire. "After practicing criminal defense, including establishing a DUI practice, I joined the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office in 1998 to pursue indigent trial advocacy."

She continued, "For more than 30 years, I have been a trial lawyer, handling increasingly complex cases and trying more than 100 trials, including serious and violent felonies. I currently handle homicide and capital litigation. From 2016–2019, I served as Deputy-in-Charge at Eastlake Juvenile Court, supervising approximately 25 attorneys and staffing collaborative drug court."

Tryfman also said, "I served as President of the Public Defenders Association from 2015–2020 and am Vice Chair of LACBA's California Conference of Bar Associations … I received the 2025 Gideon Award for Felony Attorney of the Year."

On the issues

What sets her apart: "What sets me apart is not simply the number of cases I have tried, but the breadth of responsibility I have carried throughout my career," Tryfman said in our questionnaire. "I have tried more than 100 jury trials, including homicide, attempted murder, rape, special-circumstance and capital cases … That experience has taught me to manage an extraordinary workload, absorb complicated information, make difficult decisions under pressure, and remain focused on the people behind each case."

On the transition from public defender to judge: "As a lawyer, my job was to fight as hard as I could for my client. As a judge, the responsibility changes," Tryfman said in our questionnaire. "A judge must ensure both sides are heard, rules are applied fairly, and decisions are based on law and facts—not personalities, politics, public pressure, or emotion."

On court accessibility: "I have spent my career watching people walk into court who have never been there before. I know how intimidating court can be," Tryfman said in our questionnaire. "It starts simply: speak to people in language they understand. If someone leaves court not understanding the judge's order or what they must do next, we have not done our job well."

On challenges facing the court: "The greatest challenge facing our courts is the backlog. Justice delayed is not an abstract problem—it is a human one," Tryfman said in our questionnaire. "When a case drags on, victims and families may be waiting for resolution, while an accused person may be living with uncertainty about their freedom and future."