Jerry Pacht


Mendel Jerome Pacht was an American judge who served on the California Superior Court. Pacht proclaimed himself an "activist" and was known for dismissing a charge of public drunkenness against a defendant, ruling that alcoholism was a disease and not a crime.
Pacht was born in Los Angeles and earned a bachelor's degree at UCLA, worked briefly at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 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 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 and was also in charge of the local legal defense fund of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Pacht was named by Governor Edmund G. Brown to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1965 and elevated to the Superior Court bench the next year. His rulings. which amounted to 135 in number, included:
Pacht was the son of judge Isaac Pacht and Rose. He was married to Judith Pacht. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage on April 1, 1997, in Santa Monica, California.