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Shawn D. Bessey
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Shawn D. Bessey is a judge for the Superior Court of Stanislaus County in California. He was elected to the court on November 2, 2010.[1]
Education
Bessey received a bachelor's degree from Fresno State University and a J.D. from Humphrey's College.[2]
Career
Prior to becoming a judge for the Superior Court of Stanislaus County, Bessey was a deputy district attorney with the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office.[2]
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 Shawn D. Bessey ran unopposed in the election for Seat 1 of the Stanislaus County Superior Court.
| Stanislaus County Superior Court, Seat #1, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
 Shawn D. Bessey Incumbent | ||
2010
Bessey won 23.8 percent of the vote in the primary, advancing to the general election, where he defeated Nancy Williamsen with 54 percent of the vote.[3][4]
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 Court Roster," accessed November 1, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Modesto Bee, "Shawn D. Bessey, Stanislaus Superior Court Judge, Office 6," April 26, 2010
- ↑ Stanislaus County, California, "2010 Primary Election Results," June 23, 2010
- ↑ Stanislaus County, California, "2010 General Election Results," November 18, 2010
- ↑ 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
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
