Newsom appoints 15 superior court judges

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday appointed 15 superior court judges in 11 counties.

Michael Nieto was appointed to the Contra Costa County Superior Court. Nieto has served as an assistant district attorney in Alameda County since 2022 and has been a deputy district attorney since 1997. He is also an adjunct professor at UC College of the Law, San Francisco. Nieto fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Clare Maier.

Doreen Boxer and Steven Ipson were appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Boxer has been a court commissioner since 2015 and has worked as a public defender and a senior staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society. She fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Justice Helen Zukin to the 2nd District Court of Appeal.

Ipson, also a court commissioner since 2016, was a deputy district attorney. Ipson fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge John Ing.

James Schurz was appointed to the Marin County Superior Court. Schurz has been a partner at Morrison Foerster LLP since 1998 and was a law clerk for California Supreme Court Justice Marcus Kaufman. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Verna Adams.

Robert Stamps was appointed to the Napa County Superior Court. Stamps has been a court commissioner since 2021 and previously was court counsel for the Napa County Superior Court and a research attorney for the Santa Clara County Superior Court. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Victoria D. Wood.

Sharunne Lavonne Foster was appointed to the Riverside County Superior Court. Foster has been a court commissioner since 2023 and previously was a deputy district attorney. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Mark E. Johnson.

Robert Artuz was appointed to the Sacramento County Superior Court. Artuz has been a court commissioner there since 2022 and previously was an assistant U.S. attorney and a partner at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge George P. Marlette.

Kelly Mertsoc, Rosy Meyerowitz and Kristopher Young were appointed to the San Diego County Superior Court. Mertsoc and Meyerowitz will serve in interim appointments, allowing them to assume positions they were elected to begin in January 2025.

Mertsoc has been a court commissioner since 2011, and filled a vacancy created by retirement of Judge Robert P. Dahlquist.

Meyerowitz has been a court commissioner since 2022, and filled a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Patricia Garcia

Young has been a supervising deputy attorney general since 2010 and is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps. Young fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Gary M. Bubis.

Adrienne Leight Rogers was appointed to the San Francisco County Superior Court. Rogers has been managing attorney at the 1st District Court of Appeal since 2023. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Loretta M. Giorgi.

Katy Jacot and Gurjit Singh Srai have been appointed to the San Joaquin County Superior Court.

Jacot will serve in an interim appointment and has been a court commissioner since 2023. Jacot fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Richard Vlavianos.

Srai has been a sole practitioner since 2010, and fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Robin C. Appel.

Sarah Burdick was appointed to serve in an interim appointment on the San Mateo County Superior Court. Burdick has been a court commissioner since 2022 and previously was a deputy county counsel and deputy district attorney. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Robert Foiles.

Cynthia Chen was appointed to the Santa Clara County Superior Court. Chen has been supervising attorney at the Dependency Advocacy Center since 2022. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Kenneth P. Barnum.