Meet Rhonda Haymon | Deputy Public Defender & Adjunct Professor of Law

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rhonda Haymon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rhonda, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
The judges of the Los Angeles County Superior Court impact people’s lives every single day. Every decision made from the bench has the power to change the trajectory of a person’s life, their family, and their future. As a Deputy Public Defender for 26 years, I have never lost sight of that responsibility.
My role is constitutionally required. I am often the last line of resistance against the power of the government, and I have taken that responsibility seriously since the first day I entered a courtroom in 2001. I dedicated myself to mastering the law so that I could protect the rights of people who are innocent, marginalized, unheard, or standing against overwhelming power. But knowledge alone is not enough. Courage matters too. Real change requires being comfortable with being uncomfortable and having the willingness to stand up when constitutional rights are being ignored or violated.

Throughout my career, I have been a change agent inside the courtroom. I have entered courtrooms operating outside constitutional bounds and worked to change the way those courtrooms functioned. I have protected people from unfair prosecution, challenged bias when I saw it, won jury trials, and helped create pathways for people to obtain mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, housing support, and services that allowed them to stabilize their lives and move forward.

As a Black woman doing this work, there have been many moments when I was the only minority in the courtroom in a position of power. The judge was not a minority. The prosecutor was not a minority. The bailiff was not a minority. Yet the courtroom itself was often filled with Black and brown people, people who were marginalized, impoverished, struggling, and unable to see a way forward. I never lost sight of what that meant. I understood that for many people walking into that courtroom, I was the one person at counsel table who reflected perseverance, resilience, and the courage to stand in spaces where they historically had not been represented.

What has also contributed to my success is that I never wavered, even within an imbalanced system. I have had prosecutorial-based judges who were not impartial come after me for aggressively protecting my clients’ constitutional rights, even to the extent of holding me in contempt. Yet I still stood firm in my convictions and continued to advocate for my clients without fear. The California State Bar ultimately took no action against me, reinforcing that I was acting within my ethical obligations as an attorney. Even within difficult environments, I have successfully helped clients navigate the criminal courts for 26 years because I refuse to lose sight of the humanity of the people I represent.

In addition to my courtroom work, I have served for six years as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Southwestern Law School, teaching Criminal Procedure and Litigation. In that role, I help shape future lawyers to understand the magnitude of this profession. Whether they enter criminal law, civil law, family law, or dependency law, every decision they make as attorneys will impact a client’s day-to-day life. I teach my students never to lose sight of the fact that they are representing human beings.

That principle has guided my entire career. Remembering the humanity of the people I represent has contributed to my success, my resilience, and my continued drive to help move our court system toward recognizing and humanizing every person who enters the courtroom, while staying firmly rooted within the law and using it to work for the people who come before the court to effectuate change, growth, and healing.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
For more than 26 years, I have dedicated my career to public service as a Los Angeles County Deputy Public Defender. Throughout that time, I have represented individuals and families during some of the most difficult and vulnerable moments of their lives. That experience shaped not only the attorney I became, but also the person I am today.
Over the course of my career, I have worked in multiple specialized units within my office that expanded both my legal knowledge and my understanding of how deeply the justice system impacts everyday people. I served in the Law Enforcement Accountability and Integrity Unit, where I helped consult and assist trial attorneys in presenting issues of police misconduct and constitutional violations to juries. That work required not only a mastery of the law, but also the courage to challenge systems and practices when constitutional rights were at stake.

I was also assigned to Drug Court, which was one of Los Angeles County’s most impactful rehabilitative and restorative justice courts. In that assignment, I worked closely with clients struggling with substance abuse disorder over the course of approximately a year while they participated in intensive treatment, counseling, and recovery services. Watching participants graduate from the program and rebuild their lives was one of the most meaningful experiences of my legal career because it demonstrated that when people are given support, structure, and opportunity, transformation is possible.

What sets me apart is my commitment to fairness, balance, compassion, and ensuring every person is treated with dignity and respect inside the courtroom. I have spent my career advocating for people whose voices are often unheard, and I believe that perspective is deeply important within our justice system.

My path has not always been easy. Working inside the legal system for decades teaches resilience, patience, and the importance of standing firmly in your principles, even during difficult or challenging moments. I have faced resistance, including from judges who did not always appreciate aggressive constitutional advocacy on behalf of marginalized people, yet I never wavered in protecting my clients’ rights. Those experiences strengthened my belief that true justice requires courage, professionalism, fairness, and equal treatment under the law.

One of the most important lessons I have learned throughout my career is that the judiciary benefits from diverse professional experiences and perspectives. Public defenders bring a unique understanding of how legal decisions impact real people, families, and underserved communities throughout Los Angeles County. We stand beside people in the hardest moments of their lives and see firsthand how much power the courtroom holds over a person’s future.

In addition to my courtroom work, I have served for six years as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Southwestern Law School teaching Criminal Procedure and Litigation. In that role, I help shape future lawyers to understand that every decision they make as attorneys will impact someone’s day-to-day life. Whether they pursue criminal law, family law, dependency, or civil litigation, I teach my students never to lose sight of the humanity of the people they represent.

That belief is one of the reasons I decided to run for Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Seat 64. I want to continue serving the community in a way that promotes fairness, integrity, balance, and public trust in our courts.

At the end of the day, my career has always been rooted in service, compassion, constitutional advocacy, and a commitment to justice. Everything I do is guided by the belief that every person deserves to be heard, treated fairly under the law, and given the dignity that every human being deserves.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend were visiting Los Angeles for a week, I would want them to experience the energy, diversity, history, beauty, and culture that make this city unlike anywhere else in the world. Los Angeles is a place where creativity, resilience, entertainment, art, food, and community all collide at once, so the itinerary would be a mixture of iconic landmarks, hidden gems, amazing food, and experiences that capture the soul of the city.
First and foremost, I would take them to Griffith Observatory because it gives one of the most breathtaking views of Los Angeles. Standing there overlooking the city reminds you just how vast, beautiful, and alive Los Angeles truly is. It is one of those places that instantly makes people fall in love with the city.
Of course, we would also visit Hollywood Walk of Fame so they could experience the history of entertainment and see where so many legendary artists, actors, and performers left their mark. It captures the spirit of dreamers who came to Los Angeles chasing something bigger than themselves.
No trip to Los Angeles would be complete without time at Santa Monica Beach. Between the ocean views, street performers, historic pier, Ferris wheel, restaurants, and energy of the people, it is one of the most exciting and beautiful places in the city. There is something healing about the California coastline and the feeling of watching the sunset over the Pacific Ocean.
For entertainment, I would absolutely take them to The Laugh Factory because laughter is part of the spirit of Los Angeles. Some of the greatest comedians in the world have performed there, and there is nothing like spending a night laughing with people from every background imaginable.
For food, one of my favorite spots would be Shin-Sen-Gumi Shabu-Shabu Dining in Gardena. Los Angeles has one of the best food cultures in the world because every community brings its traditions, flavors, and creativity to the city, and Gardena has some incredible food experiences.
I would also encourage them to visit during a major concert weekend at SoFi Stadium. The energy in Los Angeles during a live concert or major event is electric. It becomes a cultural experience as much as an entertainment experience.
And finally, I would take them to Watts Towers Arts Center because it reflects the history, resilience, creativity, and spirit of Los Angeles. The Watts Towers tell a story about art, struggle, perseverance, and hope. It is a reminder not only of where Los Angeles has been, but also where it continues to go.
The beauty of Los Angeles is that every neighborhood has its own rhythm, culture, and story. In one week, you can experience beaches, mountains, music, comedy, art, history, food from around the world, and people from every walk of life. That is what makes this city magical.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The people who deserve the greatest credit in my story are my parents, Edwin and Barbara Haymon, who have been married for 60 years. They laid the foundation for the woman, lawyer, and leader I would become.
My father is a United States Navy veteran who flew rescue missions as a medic during the Vietnam War. His life was rooted in courage, service, and helping save people in moments of crisis. Although I was too young to witness those acts myself, I grew up hearing the stories of his courage and sacrifice, and I believe that spirit was passed down to me through his DNA. His example taught me that standing up for people, especially when it is difficult or unpopular, is not optional. It is a responsibility.

My mother shaped another part of who I am. She placed me in speech competitions at an early age and helped cultivate my voice as an orator. What she likely did not know at the time was that those early lessons would one day become tools I would use to fight for people’s freedom, protect constitutional rights, and advocate for people who often felt powerless within the criminal legal system. My parents gave me both the courage to stand and the voice to speak.

Another profound influence on my life was Maya Angelou and her book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Her writing spoke honestly about trauma, pain, perseverance, and transformation as a young Black girl growing up in America. As a Black woman trial lawyer and criminal defense attorney, I connected deeply with her story because I, too, experienced discrimination, resistance, and attempts to diminish my voice and abilities throughout my 26-year legal career. But like Dr. Angelou, I refused to allow those experiences to make me smaller. Instead, they strengthened me.

I have never accepted mediocrity when it comes to representing people whose lives are on the line. I understood early on that being a strong Black woman litigator in courtrooms that were often not welcoming to me would come with resistance. I faced judges who were not always impartial, and in 2024, I even ran against a judge who had previously held me in contempt because I believed the action was unjust. But those experiences did not discourage me. They became catalysts for growth, purpose, and change.

Those moments reinforced my belief that our court system only works when there is real balance, real advocacy, and people willing to stand firmly against injustice. They also shaped why I am running for judge. I envision courtrooms where people feel they truly have access to justice, where people are heard, where dignity matters, and where the law is applied fairly and humanely.

The resistance I faced over these 26 years did not break me. It refined me. My experiences as a Black woman, a trial lawyer, an educator, and a defender of constitutional rights shaped me into the strong human being I am today.

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