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Allison Marston Danner

Associate Justice
Full 12-year termNo trial data

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.

On your ballot. Vote Yes or No on keeping Allison Marston Danner on the court (full 12-year term). Appears on ballots in Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz.

Qualifications

Appointment. Appointed by Gov. Brown, 2018.
Outside rating. None found. The State Bar rates nominees before appointment, but we could not find this rating in public sources.
Before the bench. Clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens; Vanderbilt law professor (international criminal law); federal prosecutor; Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel. Santa Clara Superior Court judge 2012 to 2018.

Conduct

No public discipline or controversies found.

What others recommend

Robyn Nordell's conservative guide repeats Craig Huey's picks, so it is not listed separately.
Trellis does not make recommendations. These are positions published by outside groups as of October 16, 2026. Labels describe each group's general leaning.

Notable rulings

No widely reported rulings found.

From the trial court record

Trellis profile is attached to the appellate court only; no trial-court analytics.
Sources: Court bio

Others on the same ballot

  • Charles E. Wilson IIFormer 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.
  • Frederick S. ChungFormer 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.
  • Charles F. AdamsFormer family law attorney and federal clerk; Santa Clara family division supervising judge, named 2025 Judge of the Year by a local trial lawyers group.
  • Daniel H. BrombergFormer appellate partner at Jones Day and Pillsbury and deputy legal affairs secretary to the governor; never a trial judge. No widely reported rulings yet.