Orange County Superior Court recall, California (2026)
| Orange County Superior Court recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Carol Henson Julie A. Palafox Stephen Hicklin Mary Kreber Varipapa Kimberly Carasso |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2026 Recalls in California California recall laws Special district recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Orange County Superior Court judges Maria D. Hernandez, Carol Henson, Julie A. Palafox, Stephen Hicklin, Mary Kreber Varipapa, and Kimberly Carasso is underway in California. The recall effort was launched by the California Family Law Naked Truth group, an organization headed by Christine Fleming. The group received approval to begin circulating recall petitions after formally notifying the judges of the effort in mid-December. To qualify the recalls for the ballot, supporters would need to gather approximately 152,000 valid signatures for each judge. Signatures for five of the judges must be submitted to the Orange County Registrar of Voters by July 23. Signatures for Kreber Varipapa must be submitted by August 2.[1]
Recall supporters
Fleming said she began organizing after experiencing issues during a case involving a child she raised as a grandson. The group reported 12,400 member families statewide as of the time petitions were approved.[1] The recall notices against the judges alleged judicial misconduct, failure to hear evidence, and discrimination against women and self-represented litigants. The notice against Hernandez alleged that she authorized multiple investigations into family court misconduct but did not follow through on them.[1]
Recall opponents
The six judges said in their responses that the recall would cost taxpayers more than $8.5 million for a special election.[1] Judge Hicklin said in his response that the recall was filed by litigants dissatisfied with rulings in their own cases. He wrote: "Instead of appealing, these litigants are trying to unseat fair and experienced judges for trying to do their jobs."[1] Judge Hernandez cited her 19 years as a judicial officer and multiple commendations in her formal response.[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
No specific grounds are required for recall in California. The recall process starts with a notice of intention to recall. The notice must be served to the officer whose recall is being sought as well as published in a newspaper of general circulation. The notice must then be filed with the relevant election office. Once the notice has been deemed sufficient by the election office, a petition must also be filed and approved by the election office. Once the petition is approved, it can be circulated. To get a recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures from registered voters in the jurisdiction. The number of signatures required is between 10% and 30% of registered voters in the jurisdiction, depending on the size of the jurisdiction. Jurisdictions with 1,000 registered voters or fewer require 30%, and jurisdictions with 100,000 or more registered voters require 10%. Charter cities can also set their own signature threshold. The amount of time allowed for the circulation of recall petitions also varies by the number of registered voters in a jurisdiction, between 40 and 160 days. Jurisdictions with fewer than 1,000 registered voters allow 40 days, and jurisdictions with more than 50,000 registered voters allow 160 days.[2]
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2025 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Orange County, California
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2026
- Special district recalls
External links
Footnotes
