Bob Thomas

College Friend

“I probably had better teachers at SMC than I had anywhere else. And I’ve said that all my life.”

Bob Thomas remembers that as a youngster, “I had it in the back of my mind that I’d like to be a judge. But I felt that was kind of a silly thought at the time.” Years later, for high school career day, he got to be a judge for a day in the Santa Monica Courthouse. And in that very same courthouse, Superior Court Justice Robert Thomas just recently presided over the sensational Christian Brando trial. But that was only a single trial in the bewildering case load that Thomas handles.

“I handle criminal cases from start to finish,” says Thomas of his current responsibilities. “I get about 100 new cases a month,” he continues, “so that means handling 20 to 40 cases a day. And most of them are concerned with drugs.” He notes that the arrests are soaring as a result of drug use and that the courts system is increasingly stressed. “We’ve streamlined the courts to the point that you’re almost judged by how quickly you get things done,” says Thomas. “And sometimes that’s just not the right thing to do.”

Thomas is the current president of Santa Monica Rotary and has served on the board of the local Family Services. He also coaches local baseball and basketball teams and shoots hoops against his son. “But he’s getting to be pretty tough,” admits the judge.

Of his days at SMC, Judge Thomas says, “I just really enjoyed the college completely. It was a great intermediate step. At SMC, they pay better attention to students. And I’ve recommended it to many kids and parents down through the years.”

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