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Judges appointed by Gavin Newsom

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This page lists judges appointed by Gavin Newsom (D) during his term as Governor of California. As of today, the total number of Newsom appointees was 405. For the full profile of Newsom, click here.

Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some California judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide an exhaustive list of all judges appointed by Gov. Newsom.

Appointment process

In California, vacancies are filled via gubernatorial appointment. Nominees to the supreme court and courts of appeal must be confirmed by the California Commission on Judicial Appointments. Appointed appellate judges stand for retention in the gubernatorial election following appointment; judges of the superior courts run for the seat in the next general election.[1]

Appointed judges

The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state. These lists are updated automatically with new appointments.

State Courts

Supreme Court

Name Court Active

Martin J. Jenkins

California Supreme Court

December 4, 2020 - Present

Patricia Guerrero

California Supreme Court

March 28, 2022 - January 2, 2023

Kelli M. Evans

California Supreme Court

January 2, 2023 - Present

Patricia Guerrero

California Supreme Court Chief Justice

January 2, 2023 - Present

Court of Appeals

Name Court Active

Monique Langhorne Wilson

California 1st District Court of Appeal Division 1

January 30, 2024 - Present

Charles A. Smiley III

California 1st District Court of Appeal Division 1

February 14, 2025 - Present

Tara M. Desautels

California 1st District Court of Appeal Division 2

May 14, 2024 - Present

Alison M. Tucher

California 1st District Court of Appeal Division 3

August 30, 2021 - Present

Victor Rodriguez

California 1st District Court of Appeal Division 3

October 13, 2021 - Present

Teri L. Jackson

California 1st District Court of Appeal Division 3

January 21, 2020 - 2021

Jeremy Goldman

California 1st District Court of Appeal Division 4

August 10, 2022 - Present

Danny Y. Chou

California 1st District Court of Appeal Division 5

2023 - Present

Teri L. Jackson

California 1st District Court of Appeal Division 5

August 30, 2021 - Present

Michelle Kim

California 2nd District Court of Appeal Division 1

November 25, 2024 - Present

Gregory Weingart

California 2nd District Court of Appeal Division 1

November 30, 2022 - Present

Anne K. Richardson

California 2nd District Court of Appeal Division 2

November 25, 2024 - Present

Rashida A. Adams

California 2nd District Court of Appeal Division 3

April 17, 2023 - Present

Mark Hanasono

California 2nd District Court of Appeal Division 3

July 2, 2025 - Present

Audra Mori

California 2nd District Court of Appeal Division 4

April 17, 2023 - Present

Helen Zukin

California 2nd District Court of Appeal Division 4

July 17, 2023 - July 2, 2025

Armen Tamzarian

California 2nd District Court of Appeal Division 4

July 2, 2025 - Present

Brian M. Hoffstadt

California 2nd District Court of Appeal Division 5

November 25, 2024 - Present

Hernaldo Baltodano

California 2nd District Court of Appeal Division 6

August 3, 2022 - Present

Tari Cody

California 2nd District Court of Appeal Division 6

April 17, 2023 - Present

Natalie Stone

California 2nd District Court of Appeal Division 7

May 14, 2024 - Present

Gonzalo Martinez

California 2nd District Court of Appeal Division 7

July 10, 2023 - Present

Victor Viramontes

California 2nd District Court of Appeal Division 8

November 30, 2022 - Present

Aimee Feinberg

California 3rd District Court of Appeal

January 30, 2024 - Present

Stacy Boulware Eurie

California 3rd District Court of Appeal

August 4, 2022 - Present

Laurie M. Earl

California 3rd District Court of Appeal

January 6, 2022 - Present

Shama Mesiwala

California 3rd District Court of Appeal

March 20, 2023 - Present

Truc Do

California 4th District Court of Appeal Division 1

January 14, 2021 - Present

Martin Buchanan

California 4th District Court of Appeal Division 1

May 27, 2022 - Present

Jose Scher Castillo

California 4th District Court of Appeal Division 1

April 7, 2023 - Present

Julia Craig Kelety

California 4th District Court of Appeal Division 1

April 7, 2023 - Present

Nathan Scott

California 4th District Court of Appeal Division 3

February 14, 2025 - Present

David M. Rubin

California 4th District Court of Appeal Division 3

June 23, 2023 - Present

Maurice Sanchez

California 4th District Court of Appeal Division 3

January 6, 2022 - Present

Joanne Motoike

California 4th District Court of Appeal Division 3

June 16, 2022 - Present

Thomas A. Delaney

California 4th District Court of Appeal Division 3

October 11, 2022 - Present

Daniel H. Bromberg

California 6th District Court of Appeal

January 13, 2023 - Present

Cynthia C. Lie

California 6th District Court of Appeal

August 30, 2021 - Present

Charles E. Wilson II

California 6th District Court of Appeal

August 30, 2021 - Present


Local Courts

Name Court Active

David Pereda

Superior Court of Alameda County

2020 - Present

Elisa Della-Piana

Superior Court of Alameda County

2023 - Present

Peter Borkon

Superior Court of Alameda County

February 24, 2022 - Present

Sharon L. Djemal

Superior Court of Alameda County

2021 - Present

Keith Kern Fong

Superior Court of Alameda County

2021 - Present

Maria Morga

Superior Court of Alameda County

2023 - Present

Elizabeth Riles

Superior Court of Alameda County

2024 - Present

Brian Caruth

Superior Court of Alameda County

2024 - Present

Bentrish Satarzadeh

Superior Court of Alameda County

2024 - Present

Ruben Sundeen

Superior Court of Alameda County

Sarah Sandford-Smith

Superior Court of Alameda County

2023 - Present

Veronica Rios Reddick

Superior Court of Alameda County

Armando Pastran Jr.

Superior Court of Alameda County

Jessica Hawk

Superior Court of Alameda County

Thomas Eagle Weathers

Superior Court of Alameda County

Toni Mims-Cochran

Superior Court of Alameda County

2022 - Present

Joscelyn Jones

Superior Court of Alameda County

2020 - Present

Rebekah Evenson

Superior Court of Alameda County

2020 - Present

Kelli M. Evans

Superior Court of Alameda County

2021 - January 2, 2023

Stephanie K. Sato

Superior Court of Alameda County

2021 - Present

Corie Caraway

Superior Court of Butte County

2020 - January 2, 2023

Virginia Gingery

Superior Court of Butte County

Colleen Gleason

Superior Court of Contra Costa County

March 25, 2022 - Present

Palvir Kaur Shoker

Superior Court of Contra Costa County

March 30, 2023 - Present

Peter Chang

Superior Court of Contra Costa County

2023 - Present

Hana Belfour

Superior Court of El Dorado County

Leanne Mayberry

Superior Court of El Dorado County

Pahoua Lor

Superior Court of Fresno County

2022 - Present

David Muñoz

Superior Court of Fresno County

2023 - Present

Ryan I. Wells

Superior Court of Fresno County

2021 - Present

Charles J. Lee

Superior Court of Fresno County

2021 - Present

Virna L. Santos

Superior Court of Fresno County

March 14, 2022 - Present

Amythest Freeman

Superior Court of Fresno County

March 30, 2023 - Present

Leanne L. Le Mon

Superior Court of Fresno County

2021 - Present

Samuel Dalesandro Jr.

Superior Court of Fresno County

Mary Vasquez

Superior Court of Fresno County

2023 - Present

Stephanie Negin

Superior Court of Fresno County

March 14, 2022 - Present

Melissa Baloian

Superior Court of Fresno County

May 5, 2025 - Present

Geoffrey Wilson

Superior Court of Fresno County

2022 - Present

Irene Luna

Superior Court of Fresno County

2021 - Present

Dawn Bittleston

Superior Court of Kern County

July 7, 2023 - Present

Andrew B. Kendall

Superior Court of Kern County

2021 - Present

Christie Canales Norris

Superior Court of Kern County

2021 - Present

Stephanie Childers

Superior Court of Kern County

2023 - Present

Marcus Cuper

Superior Court of Kern County

2023 - Present

Tanya Richard

Superior Court of Kern County

2023 - Present

Bernard Barmann

Superior Court of Kern County

2020 - Present

Jason Webster

Superior Court of Kern County

2020 - Present

Elizabet Rodriguez

Superior Court of Kern County

2021 - Present

Lisa Pacione

Superior Court of Kern County

2021 - Present

Wendy Avila

Superior Court of Kern County

2020 - Present

Bradley King Jr

Superior Court of Kern County

Alfred Coletta

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2021 - Present

Diane Goodman

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2022 - Present

Angel Navarro

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

January 2, 2023 - Present

Maria Byrum

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

William E. Weinberger

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

July 15, 2022 - Present

Cristina Legaspi

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2024 - Present

Leonard Torrealba

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - Present

Bradley S. Phillips

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

March 14, 2022 - Present

Katherine Chilton

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - June 2, 2023

Lee R. Bogdanoff

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - Present

Tricia J. Taylor

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Steven Ellis

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Scott Nord

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Kelly Boyer

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2023 - Present

Dean J. Kitchens

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

March 14, 2022 - Present

Nicholas F. Daum

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

March 14, 2022 - Present

Tara Newman

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2021 - Present

Alicia Blanco

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - Present

Ronald Kaye

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - Present

Richard Bloom

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2023 - Present

David Swift

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - Present

Benjamin Hernandez-Stern

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2021 - Present

Abraham Meltzer

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2021 - Present

Susan Ser

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2021 - Present

Ian C. Fusselman

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2021 - Present

Michelle L. Kazadi

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2021 - Present

Esther Kim

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

October 25, 2019 - Present

Gia Kim

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

July 6, 2022 - Present

Gilbert Rodriguez

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

July 29, 2022 - Present

Lisa Strassner

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Christine Rodriguez Tyler

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2022 - Present

Jerry Marshak

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2022 - Present

Sonia Govea

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2023 - Present

Warren Masami Kato

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2021 - Present

Reginald Neal

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2021 - Present

Ramiro P. Cisneros

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2021 - Present

Lowynn Young

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2021 - Present

Carla Garrett

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - Present

Terry Truong

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2022 - Present

Jerrold Abeles

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2023 - Present

Cathy Ostiller

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2022 - Present

Patricia Young

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2021 - Present

Donald Buddle Jr.

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2021 - Present

Lauren Lofton

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2022 - Present

Jannet Perez Santiso

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2022 - Present

Adrian Gidaya Roxas

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2022 - Present

Lynette Gridiron Winston

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2023 - Present

Diana Tsang

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2023 - Present

David Wasserman

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2023 - Present

Ryan White

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2023 - Present

Ryan Williams

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2023 - Present

Gary Eto

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2023 - Present

Michael D. Weinstein

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2024 - Present

Lowrie J. Mendoza

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2024 - Present

Gary Rowe

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2023 - Present

Mark Davis

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

March 14, 2022 - Present

Tiana J. Murillo

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

March 14, 2022 - Present

Daniel Alexander

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

March 30, 2023 - Present

Stephanie Davis

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

March 30, 2023 - Present

Jessica Kronstadt

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2023 - Present

Elizabeth Potter Scully

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Jerome Haig

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2023 - Present

Dina Richman

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2023 - Present

Michelle Graves

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2023 - Present

Evan Kitahara

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Deborah Horowitz

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2023 - Present

Michael Wilson

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2023 - Present

Andrew Esbenshade

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Brock Hammond

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Philip Marshall

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

E. Carlos Dominguez

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2021 - Present

Pamela Dansby

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2022 - Present

Josh Ryan Freeman Stinn

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2021 - Present

Hernán D. Vera

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - June 15, 2023

Edwin Chau

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

December 11, 2021 - Present

Lee S. Arian

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - Present

Adam Y. Chang

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - Present

Rosa M. Fregoso

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

September 6, 2022 - Present

Liliana H. Gonzalez

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

August 12, 2022 - Present

Paris G. Lewis

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2024 - Present

Marisa Hernández-Stern

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2024 - Present

Damaris Diaz

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Janet Hong

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Cindy Pánuco

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Tiffany Tai

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Jeanmarie Klingenbeck Warren

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - Present

Bryant Yang

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - Present

Karen Moskowitz

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - Present

Michelle DeCasas

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - Present

Lisa Washington

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - Present

John Weller

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - Present

Robert Sanchez DuFour

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - Present

Rita Badhan

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - Present

Wendy Wilcox

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

2020 - Present

Hoa Hoang

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Lara Bazán

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Brenda C. Robinson

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Syna Dennis

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

May 5, 2025 - Present

Maria Jhai

Superior Court of Los Angeles County

May 5, 2025 - Present

Brian Enos

Superior Court of Madera County

March 30, 2023 - Present

Kevin R. Murphy

Superior Court of Marin County

December 11, 2023 - Present

Jennifer O. Trimble

Superior Court of Merced County

March 14, 2022 - Present

David Hood

Superior Court of Merced County

2023 - October 5, 2023

Jennifer Jean O’Keefe

Superior Court of Monterey County

2021 - Present

Murat Ozgur

Superior Court of Monterey County

Ian Rivamonte

Superior Court of Monterey County

April 17, 2023 - Present

Joseph J. Solga

Superior Court of Napa County

Kecia Lind

Superior Court of Napa County

Alissa Bjerkhoel

Superior Court of Nevada County

November 27, 2023 - Present

Olga Giller

Superior Court of Orange County

Justin Glenn-Leistikow

Superior Court of Orange County

2023 - Present

Huy Nguyen

Superior Court of Orange County

2023 - Present

Bryan F. Clavecilla

Superior Court of Orange County

2024 - Present

Yolanda V. Torres

Superior Court of Orange County

March 14, 2022 - Present

Robert Goodkin

Superior Court of Orange County

2022 - Present

Stephen Hicklin

Superior Court of Orange County

Alma Hernandez

Superior Court of Orange County

March 30, 2023 - Present

Isabel Apkarian

Superior Court of Orange County

2021 - Present

Thomas Lo

Superior Court of Orange County

2020 - Present

Fernando Valle

Superior Court of Orange County

March 14, 2022 - Present

Brian Waite

Superior Court of Orange County

Eric Wersching

Superior Court of Orange County

2021 - Present

Carmen Luege

Superior Court of Orange County

2021 - Present

Vibhav Mittal

Superior Court of Orange County

2021 - Present

Scott Van Camp

Superior Court of Orange County

2021 - Present

Julie Swain

Superior Court of Orange County

January 2, 2023 - Present

Kunthavi Watson

Superior Court of Orange County

Amy Sheth Sagel

Superior Court of Orange County

2023 - Present

Mena Guirguis

Superior Court of Orange County

2023 - Present

Tania Vallejo

Superior Court of Orange County

2023 - Present

Lee L. Gabriel

Superior Court of Orange County

2020 - Present

Robert Gerard

Superior Court of Orange County

2020 - Present

Kimberly Carasso

Superior Court of Orange County

Benjamin Azar

Superior Court of Orange County

Lindsey Martinez

Superior Court of Orange County

2022 - Present

Adrianne E. Marshack

Superior Court of Orange County

March 14, 2022 - Present

Michael Mooney

Superior Court of Orange County

Juliet O. Macaulay

Superior Court of Orange County

July 11, 2022 - Present

Leon Dixson

Superior Court of Placer County

Melissa Begley

Superior Court of Placer County

Trisha J. Hirashima

Superior Court of Placer County

June 20, 2022 - Present

Melissa Hale

Superior Court of Riverside County

Gary Polk

Superior Court of Riverside County

2022 - Present

Jerry Yang

Superior Court of Riverside County

2022 - Present

Michele Mathis

Superior Court of Riverside County

2020 - Present

Jeffrey M. Zimel

Superior Court of Riverside County

2020 - Present

Carol A. Greene

Superior Court of Riverside County

2019 - Present

Scott P. Williams

Superior Court of Riverside County

2024 - Present

Jason Armand

Superior Court of Riverside County

2023 - Present

Manuel Bustamante Jr.

Superior Court of Riverside County

March 25, 2022 - Present

Magdalena Cohen

Superior Court of Riverside County

2022 - Present

Laura Garcia

Superior Court of Riverside County

2023 - Present

Walter Kubelun

Superior Court of Riverside County

2022 - Present

Francisco Navarro

Superior Court of Riverside County

2023 - Present

Mona Nemat

Superior Court of Riverside County

2022 - Present

Joshua Knight

Superior Court of Riverside County

September 3, 2021 - Present

Valerie Navarro

Superior Court of Riverside County

March 25, 2022 - Present

Joshlyn Pulliam

Superior Court of Riverside County

2022 - Present

Mark Singerton

Superior Court of Riverside County

July 9, 2021 - Present

Sean Crandell

Superior Court of Riverside County

September 3, 2021 - Present

Marie Elena Wood

Superior Court of Riverside County

September 3, 2021 - Present

Kristi Hester

Superior Court of Riverside County

2020 - Present

Rei Onishi

Superior Court of Sacramento County

2023 - Present

Andre Campbell

Superior Court of Sacramento County

2021 - Present

Carlton Davis

Superior Court of Sacramento County

2020 - Present

Andi Mudryk

Superior Court of Sacramento County

March 25, 2022 - Present

Michelle Igra

Superior Court of Sacramento County

2023 - Present

Philip Ferrari

Superior Court of Sacramento County

2022 - Present

Dena Coggins

Superior Court of Sacramento County

March 25, 2021 - September 18, 2024

Allison Williams

Superior Court of Sacramento County

2021 - Present

Peter Williams

Superior Court of Sacramento County

2023 - Present

Stephen Lau

Superior Court of Sacramento County

2022 - Present

Martin Tejeda

Superior Court of Sacramento County

May 7, 2025 - Present

Kara Ueda

Superior Court of Sacramento County

2020 - Present

Richard Miadich

Superior Court of Sacramento County

January 31, 2024 - Present

Jonathan Hayes

Superior Court of Sacramento County

March 25, 2021 - Present

George Acero

Superior Court of Sacramento County

March 25, 2021 - Present

Alexander Pal

Superior Court of Sacramento County

March 25, 2022 - Present

Brenda R. Dabney

Superior Court of Sacramento County

Jeffrey Galvin

Superior Court of Sacramento County

2023 - Present

Alin Cintean

Superior Court of Sacramento County

Julie Yap

Superior Court of Sacramento County

2020 - Present

David W. Bonilla

Superior Court of Sacramento County

2021 - Present

Benjamin D. Galloway

Superior Court of Sacramento County

2021 - Present

Julie Weng-Gutierrez

Superior Court of Sacramento County

March 30, 2023 - Present

Shauna Franklin

Superior Court of Sacramento County

May 30, 2023 - Present

Deborah D. Lobre

Superior Court of Sacramento County

2020 - Present

Augustin Jimenez

Superior Court of Sacramento County

March 25, 2021 - Present

Satnam Rattu

Superior Court of Sacramento County

2022 - Present

Patrick K. Palacios

Superior Court of San Benito County

March 14, 2022 - Present

Kawika Smith

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2021 - Present

Joseph Ortiz

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2020 - Present

Jessica Morgan

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2023 - Present

Joseph Widman

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2020 - Present

Stephanie Tanada

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2022 - Present

Albert Hsueh

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2024 - Present

Jeffrey Erickson

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2022 - Present

Zahara Arredondo

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2023 - Present

Rasheed Alexander

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

January 2, 2023 - Present

Douglas K. Mann

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2021 - Present

Candice A. Garcia-Rodrigo

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2021 - Present

Aruna P. Rodrigo

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2021 - Present

Sarah Oliver

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2023 - Present

Joni Sinclair

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

Kory Mathewson

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2022 - Present

Nicole Quintana Winter

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

Kathleen Curtis

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2024 - Present

Charlie Hill Jr.

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2023 - Present

Enrique Guerrero

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2023 - Present

Shannon Faherty

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2020 - Present

Lenita Skoretz

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

Guy A. Bovée

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2020 - Present

Marie Moreno Myers

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

January 2, 2023 - Present

Michael Dauber

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2022 - Present

Damian Garcia

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2022 - Present

Christian Towns

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2022 - Present

John Wilkerson

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

2023 - Present

Danna Nicholas

Superior Court of San Diego County

Jose Scher Castillo

Superior Court of San Diego County

2020 - 2023

Victor Pippins, Jr.

Superior Court of San Diego County

2020 - Present

Jinsook Ohta

Superior Court of San Diego County

2020 - December 17, 2021

Jihan Maloney

Superior Court of San Diego County

May 7, 2025 - Present

Marissa A. Bejarano

Superior Court of San Diego County

2021 - Present

Euketa Oliver

Superior Court of San Diego County

2021 - Present

Judy Bae

Superior Court of San Diego County

Victor Torres

Superior Court of San Diego County

2020 - Present

Anthony Campagna

Superior Court of San Diego County

2020 - Present

Francisco Sanchez

Superior Court of San Diego County

2023 - Present

Charles E. Bell Jr.

Superior Court of San Diego County

June 30, 2022 - Present

Michael Pulos

Superior Court of San Diego County

2021 - Present

Daniela Reali-Ferrari

Superior Court of San Diego County

Alexander Calero

Superior Court of San Diego County

Renee Stackhouse

Superior Court of San Diego County

Sherry M. Thompson-Taylor

Superior Court of San Diego County

March 14, 2022 - Present

Christopher S. Morris

Superior Court of San Diego County

June 17, 2022 - Present

Adelaida Lopez

Superior Court of San Diego County

June 9, 2022 - Present

Peter A. Lynch

Superior Court of San Diego County

June 16, 2022 - Present

Terrie Eileen Roberts

Superior Court of San Diego County

2019 - Present

Olga Álvarez

Superior Court of San Diego County

Mark Cumba

Superior Court of San Diego County

2021 - Present

Leonard N. Trinh

Superior Court of San Diego County

March 14, 2022 - Present

Lilys McCoy

Superior Court of San Diego County

March 30, 2023 - Present

Rebecca Church

Superior Court of San Diego County

2022 - Present

Daniel Segura

Superior Court of San Diego County

2021 - Present

Sara Kirby

Superior Court of San Diego County

2023 - Present

John Pro

Superior Court of San Diego County

2023 - Present

Nadia J. Keilani

Superior Court of San Diego County

March 14, 2022 - Present

Russell Roeca

Superior Court of San Francisco County

2020 - Present

Simon J. Frankel

Superior Court of San Francisco County

2022 - Present

Brian Stretch

Superior Court of San Francisco County

2024 - Present

Michael Rhoads

Superior Court of San Francisco County

2022 - Present

Brian Ferrall

Superior Court of San Francisco County

2020 - Present

Patrick Thompson

Superior Court of San Francisco County

March 14, 2022 - Present

Murlene Randle

Superior Court of San Francisco County

2020 - Present

Marisa Chun

Superior Court of San Francisco County

2021 - Present

Lance G. Jacot

Superior Court of San Joaquin County

December 23, 2019 - Present

Danielle Dunham-Ramirez

Superior Court of San Joaquin County

2022 - Present

Patrick Smalling

Superior Court of San Joaquin County

2021 - Present

Allan F. Jose

Superior Court of San Joaquin County

Erin Guy Castillo

Superior Court of San Joaquin County

April 8, 2021 - Present

Esmeralda Zendejas

Superior Court of San Joaquin County

2023 - Present

Jayne Chong-Soon Lee

Superior Court of San Joaquin County

Tameem Mardini

Superior Court of San Joaquin County

2023 - Present

Blanca Bañuelos

Superior Court of San Joaquin County

December 23, 2019 - Present

Sabrina Schneweis-Coe

Superior Court of San Joaquin County

Crystal Tindell Seiler

Superior Court of San Luis Obispo County

2023 - Present

Michael Kelley

Superior Court of San Luis Obispo County

2023 - Present

Nicole S. Healy

Superior Court of San Mateo County

2021 - Present

Kevin E. Dunleavy

Superior Court of San Mateo County

2021 - Present

Chinhayi C. Cadet

Superior Court of San Mateo County

2021 - Present

Kristy Imel

Superior Court of Santa Barbara County

Karen O'Neil

Superior Court of Santa Barbara County

May 25, 2023 - Present

Teresa Martinez

Superior Court of Santa Barbara County

Benjamin Williams

Superior Court of Santa Clara County

April 7, 2023 - Present

Luis Ramos

Superior Court of Santa Clara County

2020 - Present

Kelley Paul

Superior Court of Santa Clara County

Brian J. Buckelew

Superior Court of Santa Clara County

2021 - Present

Micael Estremera

Superior Court of Santa Clara County

Rafael A. Sivilla-Jones

Superior Court of Santa Clara County

2021 - Present

Ram Fletcher

Superior Court of Santa Clara County

Kimberly Parker

Superior Court of Santa Clara County

Rebeca Esquivel-Pedroza

Superior Court of Santa Clara County

2022 - Present

Christopher Van Meir

Superior Court of Santa Clara County

Jessica M. Delgado

Superior Court of Santa Clara County

2021 - Present

Shella Deen

Superior Court of Santa Clara County

2021 - Present

Hanley Chew

Superior Court of Santa Clara County

2021 - Present

Brooke Blecher

Superior Court of Santa Clara County

2020 - Present

Vinita Bali

Superior Court of Santa Clara County

2023 - Present

Stephen Lowney

Superior Court of Santa Clara County

2023 - Present

Johnny Gogo

Superior Court of Santa Clara County

October 25, 2019 - Present

Jerry Bustos Vinluan III

Superior Court of Santa Cruz County

2021 - Present

Erika Ziegenhorn

Superior Court of Santa Cruz County

Kathryn Barton

Superior Court of Shasta County

2023 - Present

Benjamin Hanna

Superior Court of Shasta County

2023 - Present

Thomas Linville II

Superior Court of Siskiyou County

March 25, 2022 - Present

Kelly Trujillo

Superior Court of Solano County

2024 - Present

Kinna Patel Crocker

Superior Court of Sonoma County

Troye Kendall Shaffer

Superior Court of Sonoma County

2021 - Present

Marcus L. Mumford

Superior Court of Stanislaus County

2021 - Present

David Hood

Superior Court of Stanislaus County

Maria Ratliff

Superior Court of Stanislaus County

Saul Garcia

Superior Court of Stanislaus County

2024 - Present

Jesse Santana

Superior Court of Sutter County

John Hinely

Superior Court of Sutter County

Russell Burke

Superior Court of Tulare County

2023 - Present

Sara Bratsch

Superior Court of Tulare County

2023 - Present

Carol Hubner

Superior Court of Ventura County

May 12, 2025 - Present

Diana Weiss Aizman

Superior Court of Ventura County

Dan Wolk

Superior Court of Yolo County

2020 - Present

Danette Castillo Brown

Superior Court of Yolo County

Catherine Hohenwarter

Superior Court of Yolo County

2023 - Present


Judicial selection process

See also: Judicial selection in California
Judicial selection in California
Judicialselectionlogo.png
California Supreme Court
Method:   Gubernatorial appointment
Term:   12 years
California Courts of Appeal
Method:   Gubernatorial appointment
Term:   12 years
California Superior Courts
Method:   Nonpartisan election
Term:   6 years


Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.

This article covers how state court judges are selected in California, including:

As of April 2025, California uses two different systems for its selection of state court judges. The state's appellate judges are chosen by gubernatorial appointment—where the governor directly selects judges—followed by commission confirmation. Trial judges are elected by popular nonpartisan vote.[2]

Click here to notify us of changes to judicial selection methods in this state.

Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[3]


State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[3]
Method Supreme Court (of 53)[4] Courts of Appeal (of 46) Trial Courts (of 147)
Partisan elections (PE) 8 6 39
Nonpartisan elections (NPE) 13 16 34
Legislative elections (LE) 2 2 5
Gubernatorial appointment of judges (GA) 5 3 6
Assisted appointment (AA) 22 18 46
Combination or other 3[5] 1[6] 17[7]

State profile

Demographic data for California
 CaliforniaU.S.
Total population:38,993,940316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):155,7793,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:61.8%73.6%
Black/African American:5.9%12.6%
Asian:13.7%5.1%
Native American:0.7%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.4%0.2%
Two or more:4.5%3%
Hispanic/Latino:38.4%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:81.8%86.7%
College graduation rate:31.4%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$61,818$53,889
Persons below poverty level:18.2%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in California.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in California

California voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.


More California coverage on Ballotpedia

See also

California Judicial Selection More Courts
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Courts in California
California Courts of Appeal
California Supreme Court
Elections: 202520242023202220212020201920182017
Gubernatorial appointments
Judicial selection in California
Federal courts
State courts
Local courts

External links

Footnotes

  1. American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: California," archived October 2, 2014
  2. Brennan Center for Justice, "Judicial Selection: An Interactive Map," accessed March 23, 2023
  3. 3.0 3.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
  4. Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
  5. Michigan and Ohio use nonpartisan general elections with candidates selected through partisan primaries or conventions. In the District of Columbia, judges are selected in the same manner as federal judges.
  6. Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
  7. Most courts that use combination/alternative methods (for example, mayoral appointment) are local level courts. These courts are often governed by selection guidelines that are unique to their specific region.