Mark Hanasono
Mark Hanasono is a judge for Division 3 of the California 2nd District Court of Appeal. He assumed office on July 2, 2025. His current term ends on January 4, 2027.
Hanasono won re-election for judge of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California outright in the primary on June 7, 2022, after the primary and general election were canceled.
Hanasono was appointed to the California Second District Court of Appeal by Governor of California Gavin Newsom (D) on May 7, 2025 to replace Luis A. Lavin (nonpartisan).[1]
Hanasono was appointed to the Superior Court of Los Angeles County by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown on December 27, 2013, to replace Judge Stephanie Sautner.[2]
Education
Hanasono received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley and his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.[2]
Career
- 2025-present: Judge, California Second District Court of Appeal, Division Three
- 2013-2025: Judge, Superior Court of Los Angeles County
- 2004-2013: Deputy alternate public defender, Los Angeles County
- 2000-2004: Deputy public defender, Los Angeles County
- 1999-2000: Law clerk, Stephanie Duncan-Peters of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia[2]
Elections
2022
See also: Municipal elections in Los Angeles County, California (2022)
Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Mark Hanasono (Nonpartisan) won the election without appearing on the ballot.
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 Mark K. Hanasono ran unopposed in the election for Office 141 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court.[3]
| Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge, Office #141, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
 Mark K. Hanasono 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.[4][5][6][7]
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.[4]
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.[4]
Qualifications
Candidates are required to have 10 years of experience as a law practitioner or as a judge of a court of record.[4]
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Mark Hanasono did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Governor Gavin Newsom, “Governor Newsom announces judicial appointments 5.7.25" accessed July 3, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr., "Governor Brown appoints four to Los Angeles County Superior Court," December 27, 2013
- ↑ Los Angeles County, CA, "Candidate Filing Report," accessed April 5, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 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
Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California
State courts:
California Supreme Court • California Courts of Appeal • California Superior Courts
State resources:
Courts in California • California judicial elections • Judicial selection in California
