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John S. Somers
John S. Somers was a judge for the Superior Court of Kern County in California. He was appointed by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) in May 2008 to succeed Charles McNutt. Somers was re-elected in 2010 and 2016.[1][2] Somers retired from the court in October 2020. [3]
Education
Somers received a bachelor's degree from Knox College and a J.D. from Stanford University.[2]
Career
- 2008-2020: Judge, Superior Court of Kern County
- 1985-2008: Attorney, Kern County District Attorney's Office[2]
Awards and associations
- Director, Alliance of California Judges[4]
Elections
2016
California held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. There was a primary on June 7, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was March 31, 2016. A total of 351 seats were up for election. Incumbent John S. Somers ran unopposed in the election for Office 28 of the Kern County Superior Court.
| Kern County Superior Court Judge, Office #28, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
 John S. Somers Incumbent | ||
Selection method
- See also: Nonpartisan election
The 1,535 judges of the California Superior Courts compete in nonpartisan races in even-numbered years. If a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the June primary election, he or she is declared the winner; if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff between the top two candidates is held during the November general election.[5][6][7][8]
If an incumbent judge is running unopposed in an election, his or her name does not appear on the ballot. The judge is automatically re-elected following the general election.[5]
The chief judge of any given superior court is selected by peer vote of the court's members. He or she serves in that capacity for one or two years, depending on the county.[5]
Qualifications
Candidates are required to have 10 years of experience as a law practitioner or as a judge of a court of record.[5]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ California Courts, "Trial Courts Roster," accessed November 11, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Office of the Governor, "Governor Schwarzenegger Appoints Three Judges to Kern County Superior Court," May 2008
- ↑ KGET, "John S. Somers, known for extensive legal knowledge and no-nonsense attitude, retires after 12 years as Kern County Superior Court judge," accessed February 15, 2022
- ↑ Alliance of California Judges website:Membership
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: California," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Safeguarding California's judicial election process," August 21, 2011
- ↑ California Elections Code, "Section 8203," accessed May 21, 2014
- ↑ California Elections Code, "Section 8140-8150," accessed May 21, 2014
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