Judge James Allen Bascue

May 19, 1940 - September 11, 2019 Following a brief illness, Retired Superior Court Judge James Allen Bascue passed away peacefully while asleep in his West Los Angeles home. Known fondly to his family and friends as Jim, he was raised in San Bernardino County and attended Upland High School where he played linebacker on the football team. Jim then served four years in the United States Army where he was stationed in Germany as a Military Policeman. Returning to California, Jim attended California State University San Jose for his undergraduate years followed by legal studies at the University of California Davis. After passing the bar examination Jim joined the office of the Los Angeles County District Attorney in 1971 where he served with distinction for nearly two decades. He was given a leave of absence from LADA in 1974-75 to perform as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Montana investigating a state-wide corruption scandal involving Workers Compensation Insurance fraud. Back in Los Angeles County Jim received a promotion to Grade V Head Deputy and promptly created the highly regarded Hardcore Gang Unit which he supervised during its initial years. From 1981 to 1984 Jim served as Chief Deputy District Attorney for then District Attorney Robert Philibosian. Jim briefly returned to Head Deputy status where he was assigned as supervisor of the Torrance Branch Office. In 1987 Jim accepted appointment as Chief Trial Counsel for the California State Bar to implement new attorney disciplinary procedures. Following his term with the State Bar, Jim was appointed to the Superior Court in 1990 by then Governor George Deukmejian. Again, during a five year period when the court was facing unprecedented challenges, Jim rapidly rose to the top administrative levels of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. In the mid-1990s Jim was the supervising judge of the court's criminal departments during a time when the three-strikes law was projected to overwhelm the courts with trials rather than case-settlements. Under Jim's leadership the court re-directed resources and the cases proceeded appropriately. Jim was elected assistant presiding judge in 1999 during the initial negotiations for statewide court re-unification. Jim was chosen as presiding judge in January 2000 and guided the court through the final, difficult aspects of consolidating the municipal courts into one superior court for the county, and also through the challenging and often unpopular process of transferring court management from county government to state government. For these accomplishments. Jim was honored with the 2002 Jurist of the Year Award by the Judicial Council of California. Before retiring on June 1, 2007 at the maximum retirement age of 67, Jim's last years on the superior court were served presiding over civil cases in the Santa Monica courthouse. In addition to his two sons, James Connor Bascue of Portland, Oregon, and Nick Bascue and daughter-in-law Maxine Bascue of Sherman Oaks, California plus two grandchildren, Jim is survived by his sisters Sandi and Linda and their families.