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David B. Sapp

Associate Justice (nominee)
First retention voteNot a former trial judge

Governor's Legal Affairs Secretary since 2022 and former ACLU education lawyer; never a trial judge. Nominee who takes the seat in 2027 if retained; no rulings yet.

On your ballot. Vote Yes or No on keeping David B. Sapp on the court (first retention vote). Appears on ballots in Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo and Yuba.

Qualifications

Appointment. Appointed by Gov. Newsom, 2026. Takes the seat January 2027 if retained.
Outside rating. None found. The State Bar rates nominees before appointment, but we could not find this rating in public sources.
Before the bench. Gov. Newsom's Legal Affairs Secretary since 2022. Previously at the State Board of Education and the ACLU of Southern California, where he worked on education cases including Doe v. California (illegal student fees) and Reed v. California (teacher layoffs in low-income LA schools). Never served as a trial judge.

Conduct

No public discipline or controversies found.

What others recommend

In this district, we found published positions mainly from conservative and Republican groups. Most Democratic, progressive and newspaper groups here had not published positions on these justices as of October 16.
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

Never served as a trial judge, so there is no trial court record to show.
Sources: Courts newsroomACLU bio

Others on the same ballot

  • Laurie M. EarlFormer public defender and deputy DA; Sacramento trial judge from 2005, presiding judge 2012 to 2013. Credited with helping clear the Third District's case backlog.
  • Lauri A. DamrellFormer Orrick employment and pay equity partner; Sacramento trial judge 2018 to 2026, where she created the Complex Civil Litigation department. No widely reported appellate rulings yet.
  • Stacy Boulware EurieFormer Senior Assistant Attorney General; Sacramento trial judge for 15 years, including juvenile court presiding judge 2010 to 2018. No widely reported appellate rulings yet.
  • Jonathan K. RennerFormer Senior Assistant Attorney General and governor's Legal Affairs Secretary; never a trial judge. The Supreme Court unanimously adopted his partial dissent in a murder-liability case.
  • Aimee A. FeinbergFormer U.S. Supreme Court clerk and California Deputy Solicitor General 2014 to 2023; never a trial judge. Appointed 2024; no widely reported rulings yet.
  • Shama Hakim MesiwalaFirst South Asian and Muslim woman on a California appellate court; Sacramento trial judge 2017 to 2023. Supreme Court unanimously adopted her dissent in a school abuse case.