Cody confirmed to lead 2nd District's Division 6, 3 other judges elevated to Court of Appeal

Justice Tari Cody was unanimously confirmed Thursday as presiding justice of the 2nd District Court of Appeal Division 6, becoming the first woman to lead the Ventura-based appellate court during a Commission on Judicial Appointments hearing that also advanced three other Gov. Gavin Newsom nominees.

The commission approved Cody following testimony by retired Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert, Associate Justice Hernaldo Baltodano and Stephen D. Hamilton, chair of the State Bar's Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation, who said Cody received the commission's highest rating.

Cody's confirmation led a slate of appellate appointments that included Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Nicholas F. Daum to Division 4 of the 2nd District, Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Sunny S. Sandhu to the 5th District and Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Charles Adams to the 6th District.

Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Administrative Presiding Justice Elwood Lui, appearing remotely, heard Cody's matter. Gilbert, who retired six months ago, administered the oath of office after the vote.

Gilbert urged the commission to confirm his successor and praised her work ethic.

"She treats litigants with respect and warmth, yet she is firm: when someone evades a question, she brings them right back, and she does it with kindness. She treats staff the same way, and the staff loves her. She arrives early and stays late -- her car is always there. She is diligent, tireless, warm and friendly," Gilbert said. "I will leave this court with joy, knowing that, once confirmed, Justice Cody will become the next presiding justice of Division Six."

Baltodano called the appointment historic, noting Cody's earlier appointment as the first woman to serve on the court as an associate justice.

"Gov. Newsom made an outstanding choice when he nominated her as an associate justice in the spring of 2023," Baltodano told the commission. "Her nomination was historic: she was the first woman on our court to serve as an associate justice, and if confirmed today she will be the first to serve as its presiding justice. But Tari's impact isn't about being first -- it's about being one of the finest judges, and finest people, I have known. No one is more qualified to lead Division Six."

Hamilton said the JNE Commission unanimously rated Cody exceptionally well qualified after evaluating her in April.

Bonta asked Cody about her priorities as presiding justice and what changes she might lead.

"I inherited a division that already runs exceedingly well and efficiently, one that shares my own commitment to serving the public, and I hope to continue that," Cody told the attorney general. "But I am always open to change that advances those goals, and I have already started a short list of ideas. That is how I see myself leading, if confirmed: accepting suggestions from anyone, considering them, discussing them with my colleagues, and then deciding whether they will make us more efficient and better serve the public."

Newsom elevated Cody to Division 6 after 23 years on the Ventura County Superior Court. Appointed in December 2000, she served in appellate, civil, criminal, dependency and family law assignments and became supervising juvenile judge in 2019.

Before joining the bench, she practiced civil litigation in municipal and water law, trying 30 cases to verdict, including eight as lead counsel. She attended UC Irvine on a volleyball scholarship, earning degrees in anthropology and economics before receiving her law degree from Loyola Law School.

"I believe California has the most transparent, fair, and rigorous process for selecting judges, and I am humbled to be its beneficiary. I love my job," she said. "Not a day goes by that I don't enjoy coming to work, and I know how lucky that makes me."

"I am privileged to work alongside the sharpest, most capable attorneys in my chambers," she continued. "You make me look good, and I'm grateful for your dedication."

The commission next confirmed Daum, despite two telephonic speakers who opposed the appointment. Presiding Justice Helen Zukin of Division 4, Nary Kim of Kendall Brill & Kelly and Daum's mother, attorney and former California Air Resources Board Chair Mary D. Nichols, testified in support.

Daum

Nichols framed Daum's interest in law as lifelong.

"When he asked me to come today, it was tempting to share some cute baby photos or a few neat anecdotes. That's not why I'm here. I want to try to share some context and background for why I think he is going to be a very fine appellate court justice. But -- okay -- I am going to share one story," Nichols told the commission.

"When Nick was about three years old, he liked, as a lot of kids do, to play dress-up and imagine himself in different careers. He had the police officer hat, a fire hat, the cowboy hat, and so on. But what he really liked to do most was to borrow an old tie of his father's and a worn briefcase, put those on, and walk into his closet -- because he was going to his law office to work," she said. "So, it's fair to say that Nick has been preparing for his role, as a lawyer and a member of the legal system, for a very long time, along with having a great interest in public service all those years."

One opponent, who identified himself using the anonymous pseudonym of Aaron Poe, who claimed to be speaking on behalf of California citizens, criticized Daum's handling of a case and continued berating the judge's character after his allotted time expired. Poe responded, "I disagree," when Guerrero said his time had ended and cut off his time to speak. A second opponent, Beverly Hills attorney Melvin Teitelbaum, told the commission he believed Daum treated self-represented litigants differently from represented parties. The commission later unanimously confirmed Daum.

Sandhu was then confirmed as an associate justice of the 5th District Court of Appeal, becoming the first Asian American and Pacific Islander on the Fresno-based court and the first Sikh justice in California history. Newsom elevated Sandhu after more than seven years on the Stanislaus County Superior Court, where he was appointed in 2018 and became presiding judge in January 2025.

Sandhu

Before joining the bench, Sandhu spent more than 15 years in the county Public Defender's Office, rising to public defender and carrying a felony calendar that included homicide and capital cases. Born and raised in Modesto to a Punjabi immigrant family of farm and vineyard workers, he delivered newspapers as a boy and worked six days a week in high school to help support his family.

Parn Patel, counsel at Stanford Health, Judge Carrie Stevens and Judge Jeff Manger supported Sandhu's appointment. Stevens said he "essentially broke our court's judicial assignment playbook" when assigned directly to the civil division, while Manger said Sandhu's milestones were not the point. "Being the first isn't really about being first -- it's about making sure you're not the last," Manger told the commission.

Hamilton said Sandhu also received the JNE Commission's highest rating.

In his remarks, Sandhu thanked Newsom, the appointments staff, the evaluators and his witnesses, and framed his career as one of service.

"Each of those roles has taught me something different about our justice system, but they have all reinforced the same fundamental lesson: the responsibility entrusted to a judge is ultimately one of service," he said.

The commission closed the hearing by confirming Adams to the 6th District Court of Appeal. Judges Beth McGowan, Jose Franco and Jessica Delgado of the Santa Clara County Superior Court testified in support, describing Adams as a mentor, scholar and steady colleague whose work in family court and service on the court's appellate division prepared him for the role.

Adams

Hamilton said the JNE Commission unanimously found Adams exceptionally well qualified after evaluating him in June 2025.

Adams grew up in Antioch, earned his bachelor's degree from UC Davis and his law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law, and served as a research attorney and federal law clerk before Newsom appointed him to the Santa Clara County Superior Court in 2018.

Asked by Bonta what he most looked forward to in moving from the trial bench to the Court of Appeal, Adams pointed to legal research and writing.

"That's really what I'm looking forward to: returning to research and writing as the prominent part of my work," he said. "I think the Court of Appeal is a great place to practice writing, and legal writing especially, so I'm definitely looking forward to that."

After the vote, Adams thanked Californians and invoked his upbringing.

"I have been many things throughout my career and entrusted with incredible responsibility, but in the end, I am just a boy from a small town in the East Bay -- Antioch -- who was raised on hard work and public service. I don't forget that. It reminds me that there are real people behind the cases we work on. I know there are human consequences to our decisions; I have seen it firsthand, many times. You deserve dignity and respect in court. You deserve a decision-maker who approaches every issue with an open mind and who listens. And you deserve a justice who applies the law faithfully, conscientiously, and to the very best of their ability. This boy from Antioch promises to give you what you deserve."