A senior deputy district attorney and former judicial candidate, Karen Schatzle, has filed a federal lawsuit against the County of Orange and the District Attorney’s office alleging DA Tony Rackauckas retaliated against her and threatened her career because she ran against a judge he had endorsed. She is suing the county and DA’s office for allegedly violating her rights to free speech and due process. Her lawsuit is the fourth complaint against the District Attorney’s Office in recent months. The county has rejected internal claims by two of the investigators, Abraham Santos and Tom Conklin, meaning they now may sue. In May 2016, Schatzle told the Orange County Register her decision to run for judge was “career suicide” and made similar allegations of retaliation.