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Friday, March 29, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Sixteen Judges Appointed in California

SACRAMENTO (CN) - Sixteen new judges were appointed this week to California superior courts, eight of them in Los Angeles.

Gov. Jerry Brown's office announced the appointments on Wednesday.

Michael B. Harper was appointed to Trinity County Superior Court. Harper, 47, of Weaverville, has been Trinity County district attorney since 2007, and was a deputy district attorney there from 2001 to 2007. He got his B.A. from UC-Berkeley and his J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.

Kathleen A. Meehan was appointed to Fresno County Superior Court. Meehan, 61, of Fresno, has been a commissioner for that court since 2011. She was a deputy attorney general for the state from 2008 to 2011 and was a shareholder at Baker Manock and Jensen from 1994 to 2007. She got her B.A. from St. Mary's College of California and her J.D. from the UC-Davis School of Law.

Nathan D. Ide was appointed to the Tulare County Superior Court. Ide, 45, of Visalia, has been owner of the Law Offices of Nathan D. Ide since 2007. He was in private practice with other firms for 10 years before that. He got his B.A. from UC-Berkeley and his J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law.

Ralph W. Wyatt was appointed to Kern County Superior Court. Wyatt, 64, of Bakersfield, has been a commissioner on that court since 2008. He was in private practice for 24 years before that, and worked for the Kern County Public Defender's Office from 1975 to 1981. He got his B.A. from Cal State Northridge and his J.D. from the California Western School of Law.

Michael Carrozzo was appointed to Santa Barbara County Superior Court. Carrozzo, 48, of Santa Barbara, has been a deputy district attorney in Santa Barbara County since 2007. He was a special assistant U.S. attorney at the Central District of California from 2005 to 2007, and was a judge advocate and Army captain at Fort Irwin from 2004 to 2007. He was in private practice before that. He got his B.A. from UCLA and his J.D. from Loyola Law School.

Rocky J. Baio was appointed to Ventura County Superior Court. Baio, 60, of Ojai, has been a commissioner on that court since 2010. He has been in private practice since 1979. He got his B.A. from UCLA and his J.D. from Western State College of Law.

Christopher B. Harmon was appointed to Riverside County Superior Court. Harmon, 39, of Trabuco Canyon, has been a sole practitioner since 2013, and was a trial attorney and executive attorney at Criminal Defense Lawyers for 10 years before that. He got his B.A. at USC and his J.D. at University of San Diego School of Law.

Appointed to judgeships at Los Angeles County Superior Court were Richard J. Burdge Jr., Rupert A. Byrdsong, David J. Cowan, Brian S. Currey, Sherilyn P. Garnett, Christopher K. Lui, Enrique Monguia and Gustavo N. Sztraicher.

Burdge, 64, of Pasadena, has been owner of Burdge Law Firm since 2011. He worked for a variety of law firms since 1986 and was president of the Los Angeles County Bar Association from 2012 to 2013. He got a B.S. from Yale and his J.D. from UCLA School of Law.

Byrdsong, 44, of Los Angeles, has been in private practice with Ivie McNeill and Wyatt since 1995. He got his B.A. from Morehouse College and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School.

Cowan, 51, of Los Angeles, has been a commissioner at L.A. County Superior Court since 2005. He was in private practice for 17 years before that. He got his B.A. from Columbia University and his J.D. from UC Hastings College of the Law.

Currey, 57, of Manhattan Beach, has been at O'Melveny and Myers since 2013. He was deputy mayor for economic and business policy under L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in 2013 and counsel to the mayor from 2010 to 2013. He was at O'Melveny and Myers from 1981 to 2010. He got his B.A. from UC Davis and his J.D. at University of Virginia School of Law.

Garnett, 45, of Altadena, has been an assistant U.S. attorney in California's Central District since 2001, and became chief of the general crimes section there this year. She got her B.A. from UC Riverside and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Lui, 45, of Glendale, was an assistant U.S. attorney in California's Central District from 2005 to 2011, when he went to work at Crowell and Moring, and then Browne George Ross. He got his B.A. from UC Berkeley and his J.D. from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

Monguia, 57, of Whittier, has been a public defender for Los Angeles County since 1986. He got his B.A. from Stanford and his J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law.

Sztraicher, 54, of Los Angeles, has been a senior trial attorney for the L.A. County Public Defender's Office since 2001, and has worked for the office since 1990. He got his B.A. from UC Santa Cruz and his J.D. from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

Superior Court judgeships pay $181,292.

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