← Back
Court of Appeal, Sixth District: 2026 retention votes
Voters in Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz decide Yes or No on these 5 justices.
Tip: tap "+ Compare" on up to 3 judges to see them side by side.
Associate Justice
Former deputy DA; Santa Clara trial judge supervising family violence. Ruled that making three Spanish-speaking defendants share one interpreter violated the right to an interpreter.
Full 12-year termNo trial data
Outside rating. None found. The State Bar rates nominees before appointment, but we could not find this rating in public sources.
Conduct. No public discipline or controversies found.
What others recommend. Yes 3 No 1 Yes: San Francisco Chronicle, Indivisible Marin (Yes on all California justices), Craig Huey voter guide. No: Reform California.
From the trial court record. Trellis profile exists but has no analytics.
Associate Justice (nominee; currently a Santa Clara Superior Court judge)
Former Gibson Dunn partner with 22 years of civil litigation; Santa Clara trial judge since 2018. Nominee; would take the seat in 2027; no appellate rulings.
First retention voteNo trial data
Outside rating. None found. The State Bar rates nominees before appointment, but we could not find this rating in public sources.
Conduct. No public discipline or controversies found.
What others recommend. Yes 2 No 1 Yes: San Francisco Chronicle, Indivisible Marin (Yes on all California justices). No: Craig Huey voter guide.
From the trial court record. Trellis profile exists but has no analytics.
Associate Justice
Former family law attorney and federal clerk; Santa Clara family division supervising judge, named 2025 Judge of the Year by a local trial lawyers group.
Motions granted: 53.4% (County avg 55.0%)Average case length: 707 days (County avg 820)
First retention voteTrellis trial record
Outside rating. None found. The State Bar rates nominees before appointment, but we could not find this rating in public sources.
Conduct. No public discipline or controversies found.
What others recommend. Yes 2 No 2 Yes: San Francisco Chronicle, Indivisible Marin (Yes on all California justices). No: Craig Huey voter guide, Reform California.
Heard a mix of cases, most often employment cases (38%). Granted motions at about the same rate as other judges in the county, and cases took about as long as the county average. This is a small record, so read it with caution.
Their trial court record, compared with other judges in the county
Motions granted
Average case length
Associate Justice
Former U.S. Supreme Court clerk, Vanderbilt law professor and federal prosecutor; Santa Clara trial judge 2012 to 2018. No widely reported rulings in the record; no discipline found.
Full 12-year termNo trial data
Outside rating. None found. The State Bar rates nominees before appointment, but we could not find this rating in public sources.
Conduct. No public discipline or controversies found.
What others recommend. Yes 2 No 2 Yes: San Francisco Chronicle, Indivisible Marin (Yes on all California justices). No: Craig Huey voter guide, Reform California.
From the trial court record. Trellis profile is attached to the appellate court only; no trial-court analytics.
Associate Justice
Former appellate partner at Jones Day and Pillsbury and deputy legal affairs secretary to the governor; never a trial judge. No widely reported rulings yet.
First retention voteNot a former trial judge
Outside rating. None found. The State Bar rates nominees before appointment, but we could not find this rating in public sources.
Conduct. No public discipline or controversies found.
What others recommend. Yes 2 No 2 Yes: San Francisco Chronicle, Indivisible Marin (Yes on all California justices). No: Craig Huey voter guide, Reform California.
From the trial court record. Never served as a trial judge, so there is no trial court record to show.