SACRAMENTO (CN) - Eleven new judges have been appointed to
California Superior Courts.
Gov. Jerry Brown announced the appointments Tuesday.
Julie Fox Blackshaw, H. Jay Ford III, Gregorio Roman and Douglas W. Stern will become judges on Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Fox Blackshaw, 59, of Pasadena, has been deputy counsel to the mayor of Los Angeles since 2010. She was a federal court special master from 2002 to 2010. She was deputy general counsel to the Rampart Independent Review Panel at the Los Angeles Police Commission in 2000, and was an assistant U.S. attorney in the Criminal Division at the U.S. Attorney's Office of Los Angeles from 1987 to 1994. She was in private practice for 11 years before that, a legislative assistant to Congressman Leon E. Panetta from 1982 to 1983, and an associate at the Law Office of Sellers Connor and Cuneo from 1979 to 1982. She earned her B.A. at Stanford and her J.D. at University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
Ford, 52, of Malibu, has been a commissioner at Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2005. He was an associate at Tyre Kamins Katz and Granof Law Corporation from 1987 to 2005, and a litigation associate at Adams Duque and Hazeltine from 1985 to 1987. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Utah and his J.D. at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law.
Roman, 53, of Whittier, has been a as deputy alternate public defender and senior trial attorney at Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender's Office since 1994. He was a deputy public defender there from 1991 to 1994, an associate at Lum Roberts and Gutierrez in 1991 and a deputy district attorney at Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office in 1989. He earned his B.A. from Yale and his J.D. from the UCLA School of Law.
Stern, 59, of Rancho Palos Verdes, opened his own law office this year. He has worked at Gibbs Giden Locher Turner and Senet, at Fidelity National Law Group from 2009 to 2012, was a litigation partner at Fulbright and Jaworski from 1990 to 2009, and was with Pepper Hamilton and Scheetz from 1982 to 1989. He was a litigation associate at Miller and Mandel from 1978 to 1982. Stern served on the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council from 1999 to 2011 and was mayor in 2003 and 2008. He earned his B.A. from UCLA and his J.D. at UCLA Law School.
Retiring from the L.A. Superior Court bench are Judges Joan Compater-Cassani, Carl West, Rose Hom, and Gary Hahn.
Patricia Guerrero and Michael J. Popkins, both of San Diego, were appointed to seats on San Diego Superior Court.
Guerrero, 41, has worked at Latham and Watkins since 1997, with time off in 2002-03 to work as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of California. She earned her B.A. from UC-Berkeley and her J.D. at Stanford. She will take the seat of Superior Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who has become a federal judge.
Popkins, 62, has been a deputy public defender at the San Diego County Public Defender's Office since 1985. He was a deputy public defender in L.A. County for seven years before that. He got his B.S. from Villanova and his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law.
Erin K. Alexander and Lisa M. Rogan will become judges in San Bernardino County Superior Court.
Alexander, 39, of Moreno Valley, has been a deputy public defender in San Bernardino County since 2005. She was a deputy alternate public defender in San Diego for seven years before that. She earned her B.A. from the University of Dayton and her J.D. at Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law.
Rogan, 50, of Alta Loma, has been a supervising deputy district attorney at the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office since 2010 and a deputy district attorney since 2001. She was an adjunct professor of law at the University of La Verne, College of Law from 2004 to 2009. She was a police sergeant at the Pomona Police Department from 1989 to 1997 and a deputy sheriff for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department from 1983 to 1988. She has an Associate of Science degree from Mount San Antonio College and a J.D. from the University of La Verne, College of Law.
Tracie L. Brown, Harry M. Dorfman and Rochelle C. East, all of San Francisco, were appointed to judgeships on San Francisco County Superior Court.
Brown, 42, has been an assistant U.S. attorney since 2002. She was an associate at Cooley Godward Kronish from 1997 to 2002, a law clerk for Judge Margaret McKeown from 1998 to 1999, and a law clerk and associate at Morrison and Foerster from 1995 to 1997. She earned her B.A. from Harvard-Radcliffe and her J.S. at UC-Berkeley School of Law.
Dorfman, 56, has been a managing attorney at the San Francisco District Attorney's Office Homicide Unit since 2010. He was a professor at San Francisco Law School from 2001 to 2011 and chief counsel for the California Assembly Committee on Public Safety from 1999 to 2000. He earned his B.A. at Harvard and his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
East, 56, has been chief deputy attorney general at the California Department of Justice since 2011, where she was senior assistant attorney general in the Correctional Law Section from 2008 to 2011 and deputy attorney general and supervising deputy attorney general from 2000 to 2004 and from 2005 to 2008. East worked in Haiti as a State Department foreign service officer from 2004 to 2005. She was an associate attorney at Schachter Kristoff Orenstein and Berkowitz from 1996 to 2000 and a judicial extern at the California Supreme Court in 1996. East served in the Navy from 1983 to 1993. She earned a B.A. at Stanford and her J.D. at University of San Francisco School of Law.
Retiring from San Francisco Superior Court are Judges Kevin McCarthy, Donna Little and Jerome T. Benson.
Denny R. Forland of Chico is the newest judge on the Butte County Superior Court.
Forland, 59, has run his own law office since 1991. He was a partner at Price Price Brown and Halsey from 1986 to 1990, an attorney at the Law Office of J. Joseph Vandervoort from 1984 to 1986, deputy district attorney at Butte County District Attorney's Office from 1980 to 1984, and a research attorney at the California District Attorney's Association from 1979 to 1980.
He earned a B.S. from Pacific Union College and his J.D. at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.
Forland fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Superior Court Judge Gerald Hermansen.
Antonio A. Reyes was appointed to the Tulare County Superior Court bench.
Reyes, 60, of Visalia, has been in private practice since 1990. He was a partner at Duarte and Reyes from 1985 to 1990, at Orduno and Reyes from 1983 to 1984 and at Valdez Silva Orduno Candelaria and Reyes in 1983. He worked at Nunez Silva and Orduno from 1982 to 1983 and at the Legal Services Program for San Gabriel Valley from 1978 to 1982. He earned his B.A. at St. Mary's College of California and his J.D. at Santa Clara University School of Law. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Superior Court Judge Gerald F. Sevier.
All the appointees are Democrats, except East, who is registered as decline-to-state.
Salaries for all the new judges will be $178,789.
Gov. Jerry Brown announced the appointments Tuesday.
Julie Fox Blackshaw, H. Jay Ford III, Gregorio Roman and Douglas W. Stern will become judges on Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Fox Blackshaw, 59, of Pasadena, has been deputy counsel to the mayor of Los Angeles since 2010. She was a federal court special master from 2002 to 2010. She was deputy general counsel to the Rampart Independent Review Panel at the Los Angeles Police Commission in 2000, and was an assistant U.S. attorney in the Criminal Division at the U.S. Attorney's Office of Los Angeles from 1987 to 1994. She was in private practice for 11 years before that, a legislative assistant to Congressman Leon E. Panetta from 1982 to 1983, and an associate at the Law Office of Sellers Connor and Cuneo from 1979 to 1982. She earned her B.A. at Stanford and her J.D. at University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
Ford, 52, of Malibu, has been a commissioner at Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2005. He was an associate at Tyre Kamins Katz and Granof Law Corporation from 1987 to 2005, and a litigation associate at Adams Duque and Hazeltine from 1985 to 1987. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Utah and his J.D. at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law.
Roman, 53, of Whittier, has been a as deputy alternate public defender and senior trial attorney at Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender's Office since 1994. He was a deputy public defender there from 1991 to 1994, an associate at Lum Roberts and Gutierrez in 1991 and a deputy district attorney at Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office in 1989. He earned his B.A. from Yale and his J.D. from the UCLA School of Law.
Stern, 59, of Rancho Palos Verdes, opened his own law office this year. He has worked at Gibbs Giden Locher Turner and Senet, at Fidelity National Law Group from 2009 to 2012, was a litigation partner at Fulbright and Jaworski from 1990 to 2009, and was with Pepper Hamilton and Scheetz from 1982 to 1989. He was a litigation associate at Miller and Mandel from 1978 to 1982. Stern served on the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council from 1999 to 2011 and was mayor in 2003 and 2008. He earned his B.A. from UCLA and his J.D. at UCLA Law School.
Retiring from the L.A. Superior Court bench are Judges Joan Compater-Cassani, Carl West, Rose Hom, and Gary Hahn.
Patricia Guerrero and Michael J. Popkins, both of San Diego, were appointed to seats on San Diego Superior Court.
Guerrero, 41, has worked at Latham and Watkins since 1997, with time off in 2002-03 to work as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of California. She earned her B.A. from UC-Berkeley and her J.D. at Stanford. She will take the seat of Superior Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who has become a federal judge.
Popkins, 62, has been a deputy public defender at the San Diego County Public Defender's Office since 1985. He was a deputy public defender in L.A. County for seven years before that. He got his B.S. from Villanova and his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law.
Erin K. Alexander and Lisa M. Rogan will become judges in San Bernardino County Superior Court.
Alexander, 39, of Moreno Valley, has been a deputy public defender in San Bernardino County since 2005. She was a deputy alternate public defender in San Diego for seven years before that. She earned her B.A. from the University of Dayton and her J.D. at Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law.
Rogan, 50, of Alta Loma, has been a supervising deputy district attorney at the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office since 2010 and a deputy district attorney since 2001. She was an adjunct professor of law at the University of La Verne, College of Law from 2004 to 2009. She was a police sergeant at the Pomona Police Department from 1989 to 1997 and a deputy sheriff for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department from 1983 to 1988. She has an Associate of Science degree from Mount San Antonio College and a J.D. from the University of La Verne, College of Law.
Tracie L. Brown, Harry M. Dorfman and Rochelle C. East, all of San Francisco, were appointed to judgeships on San Francisco County Superior Court.
Brown, 42, has been an assistant U.S. attorney since 2002. She was an associate at Cooley Godward Kronish from 1997 to 2002, a law clerk for Judge Margaret McKeown from 1998 to 1999, and a law clerk and associate at Morrison and Foerster from 1995 to 1997. She earned her B.A. from Harvard-Radcliffe and her J.S. at UC-Berkeley School of Law.
Dorfman, 56, has been a managing attorney at the San Francisco District Attorney's Office Homicide Unit since 2010. He was a professor at San Francisco Law School from 2001 to 2011 and chief counsel for the California Assembly Committee on Public Safety from 1999 to 2000. He earned his B.A. at Harvard and his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
East, 56, has been chief deputy attorney general at the California Department of Justice since 2011, where she was senior assistant attorney general in the Correctional Law Section from 2008 to 2011 and deputy attorney general and supervising deputy attorney general from 2000 to 2004 and from 2005 to 2008. East worked in Haiti as a State Department foreign service officer from 2004 to 2005. She was an associate attorney at Schachter Kristoff Orenstein and Berkowitz from 1996 to 2000 and a judicial extern at the California Supreme Court in 1996. East served in the Navy from 1983 to 1993. She earned a B.A. at Stanford and her J.D. at University of San Francisco School of Law.
Retiring from San Francisco Superior Court are Judges Kevin McCarthy, Donna Little and Jerome T. Benson.
Denny R. Forland of Chico is the newest judge on the Butte County Superior Court.
Forland, 59, has run his own law office since 1991. He was a partner at Price Price Brown and Halsey from 1986 to 1990, an attorney at the Law Office of J. Joseph Vandervoort from 1984 to 1986, deputy district attorney at Butte County District Attorney's Office from 1980 to 1984, and a research attorney at the California District Attorney's Association from 1979 to 1980.
He earned a B.S. from Pacific Union College and his J.D. at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.
Forland fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Superior Court Judge Gerald Hermansen.
Antonio A. Reyes was appointed to the Tulare County Superior Court bench.
Reyes, 60, of Visalia, has been in private practice since 1990. He was a partner at Duarte and Reyes from 1985 to 1990, at Orduno and Reyes from 1983 to 1984 and at Valdez Silva Orduno Candelaria and Reyes in 1983. He worked at Nunez Silva and Orduno from 1982 to 1983 and at the Legal Services Program for San Gabriel Valley from 1978 to 1982. He earned his B.A. at St. Mary's College of California and his J.D. at Santa Clara University School of Law. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Superior Court Judge Gerald F. Sevier.
All the appointees are Democrats, except East, who is registered as decline-to-state.
Salaries for all the new judges will be $178,789.
