Democratic 21st Century Club

A Conversation with Judge LaDoris Cordell

Join us for a conversation about the future of democracy with retired Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell. Judge Cordell is a 1974 graduate of Stanford Law School and the first lawyer to open a law practice in East Palo Alto, a low-income community of color. In 1978, she was appointed Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at Stanford Law School, where she implemented a successful minority admissions program.

In 1982, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Ms. Cordell to the Municipal Court of Santa Clara County. In 1988, she won election to the Superior Court of Santa Clara County, making her the first African American woman to sit on the Superior Court in northern California. In 2001, she retired from the bench to become Vice Provost & Special Counselor to the President for Campus Relations at Stanford. In 2003, accepting no monetary donations, Judge Cordell, ran a grassroots campaign and won a 4-year term on the Palo Alto City Council.

Judge Cordell went on to serve for five years as the Independent Police Auditor for the City of San José (2010-2015). Under her leadership, the office gained national prominence. In 2016, Judge Cordell chaired a Blue-Ribbon Commission in Santa Clara County that investigated the jails in the aftermath of the murder of an inmate by jail guards; she also served on a Blue Ribbon Panel that investigated the San Francisco Police Department after racist and sexist text messages surfaced.

Judge Cordell has been an on-camera legal analyst for CBS-5 television and a guest commentator on Court TV, MSNBC’s “The Weekend with Joshua Johnson,” and “The Mehdi Hasan Show.” Her memoir Her Honor was a finalist for the California Book Award in nonfiction.

We hope you'll join us to meet Judge Cordell and learn about the importance of activism.

HOW TO ORDER TICKETS

Please select your ticket quantity below and click "Purchase tickets" to proceed to the payment page. Your reservation is NOT complete until you have paid for your ticket(s). 

Tickets are $30 for Current Members (paid for 2025) and $35 for Non-Members. Not sure if you're current on your dues? Send us an email to check. Tickets ARE refundable and/or transferable.

If you would like to register now and pay at the door, please send an email to [email protected]. We can accept in-person payment by cash or check.

Out of respect for the restaurant staff, we ask that you please RSVP no later than 4:00pm Thursday, October 9th.