Candidate for
Judge - Superior Court; County of Santa Clara; Office 7

JoAnne McCracken has spent the last twenty years prosecuting some of the most dangerous criminals in Santa Clara County. She is a well-respected, fair and ethical prosecutor with a reputation for excellence, broad knowledge of the law and hard work. She now seeks to continue to serve her community as a Superior Court Judge. JoAnne's extensive experience has involved the prosecution of some of the toughest, high profile criminal cases, many involving extremely vulnerable victims. She has broad experience prosecuting:

· ‪Murder

· ‪Rape

· ‪Child Molestation

· ‪Crimes by Gang Members;

· ‪Theft, including Robbery, Burglary, Identity Theft‬

JoAnne has tried more than sixty-five jury trials and has never lost a felony case, giving her one of the top conviction rates in the District Attorney's office. In her nine years prosecuting sexual assault crimes and five years prosecuting homicides, she has convicted more than three hundred rapists, child molesters and murderers. For example:

· ‪In a "cold case" homicide, JoAnne convicted killer Timmie Fletcher who viciously murdered a young ‬San Jose man twenty years earlier.

· ‪JoAnne prosecuted three men who brutally kidnapped and raped a Morgan Hill girl. They were convicted at jury trial and sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

· ‪JoAnne tried and convicted at jury trial Vassar Smith, a ‬Palo Alto tutor who molested boys for more than 34 years before he was caught.

· ‪JoAnne convicted serial rapist Samuel Ortega, whom police called the "Mountain View Bushwacker." Ortega raped and assaulted nine women over the course of three years, stabbing, slashing and disfiguring some of his victims.

· ‪She put on the first full-blown scientific hearing to establish the admissibility of DNA evidence in ‬Santa Clara County, resulting in the broad admissibility of DNA evidence in criminal trials.

"I know that the community and the District Attorney have placed substantial trust in me in permitting me to handle such serious cases," McCracken says. "While I welcome that responsibility, I also recognize its significance. I work very hard to make sure that both victims and defendants receive justice. I hold myself to the highest ethical standards."

After twelve years of handling thousands of court hearings in addition to her trial work, JoAnne was the first woman to be promoted to Chief Trial Deputy, a position that only two others have held in the history of the District Attorney's office. She now serves the office as Supervising Deputy District Attorney, supervising the largest felony team in the D.A.'s office.

JoAnne is passionate about protecting the safety of the community and is committed to helping crime victims find justice. In order to communicate with Spanish-speaking victims and witnesses without an interpreter, JoAnne took classes at night and on weekends and speaks Spanish fluently. Her work, including her volunteer efforts, shows that she strives to prevent youth from becoming involved in crime and strongly supports the rehabilitation of drug addicts.

JoAnne's vast courtroom experience, commitment to public safety, justice and ethics and her strong academic background make her uniquely qualified to serve as Superior Court Judge. "If elected, I will work hard to keep our community safe, follow the letter of the law, seek justice and ensure that all persons are treated with dignity and respect in the courtroom. I recognize that voting for me places great trust in me. I will faithfully serve this community and will be fair in every case," McCracken says.

JoAnne received her Juris Doctorate degree From Santa Clara University School of Law in 1986. She graduated Magna Cum Laude in the top 5% of her class. She was an Editor on the Santa Clara Law Review and her law review article was published. She was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award in Criminal Law. JoAnne received her B.A. degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with Distinction in the Major. She was the recipient of the City Club Prize, recognizing that she graduated second of all women in the social sciences.