Judge Karla Kerlin
USC Gould School of Law

Judge Karla Kerlin was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2008. Judge Kerlin currently presides over three collaborative courts: the Office of Diversion & Reentry (ODR) Housing Court, which provides housing and mental health treatment to homeless individuals with severe mental health disorders; the Department of State Hospitals Diversion Program, which is a grant-funded Mental Health Diversion program; and, the Maternal Health Court for women who are incarcerated and pregnant. These programs are alternatives to incarceration and are designed to divert defendants from jail into service-enriched housing with mental health treatment and wraparound services. Judge Kerlin frequently trains other judges on issues related to mental health diversion and collaborative courts.

Prior to becoming a judge, Judge Kerlin was a deputy district attorney for 18 years with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. In that role, she developed expertise in the prosecution of sex crimes, child abuse, domestic violence and worked in the Major Crimes Division prosecuting high-profile homicide cases. As a deputy district attorney, for many years Judge Kerlin served as a faculty member for the childPROOF Advanced Trial Advocacy for Child Abuse Prosecutors course sponsored by the National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse. In that capacity, Judge Kerlin trained child abuse prosecutors from across the country.

Judge Kerlin has a BS in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, and a JD from Southwestern Law School.   

FACULTY IN THE NEWS

LLM Guide
June 5, 2023
Re: USC Gould School of Law

Law schools have been adapting to the increase in technological advancements, especially with the increased need for attorneys with the creation of AI. “Attorneys work on the front end, conducting threat assessments to ensure that their clients’ systems and data are protected, and on the back end, to navigate any legal issues that may arise as a result of the attacks," Gruzas said.

RECENT SCHOLARSHIP

Robin Craig
May, 2023

"Did Sackett Bring Clarity to 'Waters of the United States'?," 54:6 Trends (forthcoming July/August 2023) (accepted May 31, 2023).

Robin Craig
May, 2023

"Tribal Water Rights and Tribal Health: the Klamath Tribes and the Navajo Nation During the Covid-19 Pandemic," 16 Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy 35 (published 2023), was summarized and promoted on the Race, Racism, and the Law website run by Professor Vernellia Randall, University of Dayton School of Law.

Robin Craig
May, 2023

"Governing Shifting Species and Changing Ecosystems: What role Might Ecological Grief Play?," keynote address at the Species on the Move 2023 International Conference, Bonito Springs, Florida, on May 19, 2023.