Gov Newsom appoints 14 judges to superior courts across California

Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed 14 new judges to superior courts across California on Friday, filling vacancies in Los Angeles, Modoc, Riverside, San Diego, San Mateo, Tulare and Ventura counties.

Seven judges were appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court:

• Phu Nguyen, a Superior Court counsel since 2017 and a UCLA Law lecturer, will fill retired Judge Louise Suzette Clover's vacancy.

• Sonia Dujan, a court commissioner for a year, and former sole practitioner, will fill retired Judge Margaret Oldendorf's vacancy.

• Mike Madokoro, a partner at Bowman and Brooke LLP, will fill retired Judge Gregory Keosian's vacancy.

• James Montgomery Jr., a court commissioner since 2023 and longtime private attorney, will fill retired Judge Yvette Palazuelos' vacancy.

• Jacob Yim, deputy-in-charge of the Real Estate Fraud Section at the DA's office, will fill retired Judge Carol Elswick's vacancy.

• Helen Yang, who has been a partner at Squire Patton Boggs since 2016, will fill retired Judge Michael Linfield's vacancy.

• Louis Parise, a deputy district attorney, will fill retired Judge Martin L. Herscovitz's vacancy.

Elsewhere in the state:

• Randall Harr, a longtime private attorney, was appointed to fill the vacancy left by Judge Francis W. Barclay on the Modoc County Superior Court.

• Two judges were appointed to the Riverside County Superior Court. Mickie Reed, a court commissioner since 2014 and a former law professor, will fill retired Judge Gregory Olson's vacancy. Michael Martin, an appellate attorney at the 2nd District Court of Appeal and adjunct professor, will fill retired Judge Irma Asberry's vacancy.

• In San Diego County, Chandra Reid, a court commissioner since 2021 and former deputy district attorney, will fill retired Judge Kenneth Medel's vacancy.

• In San Mateo County, Mark McCannon, an Alameda County Superior Court judge and former prosecutor, will fill retired Judge Marie S. Weiner's vacancy.

• In Tulare County, Jason Taylor, a sole practitioner, will fill retired Judge Walter L. Gorlick's vacancy.

• In Ventura County, Amy Van Sickle, a court commissioner since 2023 and former private attorney, will fill retired Judge Patricia M. Murphy's vacancy.

The annual salary for each position is $244,727.

This report was compiled using artificial intelligence tools.