Michael Carrozzo
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2023
Michael Carrozzo is a judge for the Superior Court of Santa Barbara County in California. He was appointed to the court by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown on June 18, 2014, to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge George C. Eskin.[1] Carrozzo ran unopposed for election to a full term in 2016.
Education
Carrozzo received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and his J.D. from the Loyola Law School.[1]
Career
- 2014-Present: Judge, Superior Court of Santa Barbara County
- 2007-2014: Deputy district attorney, Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office
- 2005-2007: Special assistant U.S. attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California
- 2004-2007: U.S. Army captain judge advocate, Fort Irwin
- 1997-2004: Senior attorney, Law Offices of Michael Gurfinkel
- 1995-1997: Attorney, Law Offices of Steven Karp
- 1992-1995: Attorney in private practice [1]
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 Michael Carrozzo ran unopposed in the election for Office 4 of the Santa Barbara County Superior Court.[2]
| Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge, Office #4, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
 Michael Carrozzo 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.[3][4][5][6]
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.[3]
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.[3]
Qualifications
Candidates are required to have 10 years of experience as a law practitioner or as a judge of a court of record.[3]
Noteworthy events
2025 censure
On April 17, 2025, Carrozzo was issued a public censure regarding ten acts of willful misconduct and nine acts of prejudicial misconduct related to legal assistance and favors to his judicial secretary. As of April 21, 2025, Carrozo is scheduled to take an approved leave from the bench starting June 2, 2025, and formally resign from his position on the Superior Court of Santa Barbara County effective Sep. 9, 2025.[7][8]
See also
External links
- The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, "Superior Court of Santa Barbara County"
- California Courts, The Judicial Branch of California, "Judges Roster"
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 CA.gov: Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., "Governor Brown Appoints Michael Carrozzo to Santa Barbara County Superior Court," June 18, 2014
- ↑ Santa Barbara County, CA, "Contest/Candidate Proof List," accessed April 9, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 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
- ↑ keyt.com, “Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Michael Carrozzo issued public censure and will be required to step down from his position" accessed April 21, 2025
- ↑ keyt.com, “Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Michael Carrozzo facing formal proceedings over alleged abuses of his position on behalf of his secretary" accessed April 21, 2025
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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
