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Oct. 27, 2026

Family court Judge Danna Nicholas draws on experience as a public defender

Drawing on her experience as a public defender, prosecutor and mother, the San Diego County judge strives to make litigants feel heard while navigating disputes that can shape children's lives for years.

Read more about Danna M. Nicholas...
Family court Judge Danna Nicholas draws on experience as a public defender

Danna M. Nicholas

San Diego County Superior Court

Career Highlights: Appointed San Diego County Superior Court judge by Gov. Gavin Newsom, Oct. 18, 2023; lead deputy city attorney, deputy city attorney, San Diego City Attorney's Office, 2004-23; assistant public defender, Alaska Public Defender Agency, 2000-02

Law School: California Western School of Law, 2000

Office of the San Diego City Attorney
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EL CAJON - San Diego Superior Court Judge Danna W. Nicholas grew up discovering that the law could reach into almost every corner of life. In Anchorage, Alaska, where she grew up, winter daylight can disappear almost as quickly as it arrives and summer evenings stretch into the early morning,

She first noticed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall on television and went searching through the family encyclopedia to learn about him. Then, during a fishing trip, she... (continued)

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