By Vanguard Staff
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the appointment of 14 Superior Court judges across California, including three interim appointments that allow judges-elect to immediately assume office ahead of the start of their elected terms in January 2027. The appointments span El Dorado, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara and Stanislaus counties.
The appointments include one interim appointment in El Dorado County, one interim appointment in Los Angeles County, one interim appointment in San Diego County, three additional appointments in Los Angeles County, two in Orange County, one in Santa Barbara County, two in Santa Clara County, two in San Diego County and one in Stanislaus County.
In El Dorado County, Stephanie Shirkey, of Sacramento County, was appointed in an interim appointment to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Vicki Ashworth. Shirkey has served as a lead attorney at the Third District Court of Appeal since 2023 after previously serving as a senior research attorney at the Sacramento County Superior Court, in-house counsel at the California Department of Health Care Services, senior policy and compliance counsel for the California Apartment Association and director of legal and regulatory affairs at the California Association of Health Plans. She also served for more than a decade in the Office of Legislative Counsel. She earned her law degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, and is registered as No Party Preference.
In Los Angeles County, Irene Lee received an interim appointment to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Christina Hill. Lee has served as a special assistant in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office since 2025 after serving as deputy county counsel and previously as a deputy district attorney. She earned her law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law and is a Democrat.
Also receiving an interim appointment was Leah Boucek in San Diego County. Boucek, currently a commissioner with the San Diego County Superior Court and an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego School of Law, will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Earl Maas effective July 6. She previously served as family law facilitator and staff attorney for the San Diego County Superior Court and has worked in private practice. She earned her law degree from California Western School of Law and is registered without party preference.
Newsom also appointed Haaris Syed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Syed has served as a commissioner with the court since 2026 after spending more than two decades as a deputy public defender in Los Angeles County. He earned his law degree from Loyola Law School and is a Democrat.
Jennifer Lee, currently a judge on the Contra Costa County Superior Court, was appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Before joining the bench, she served as a commissioner in Contra Costa County, security counsel at Apple, deputy district attorney in Los Angeles County, deputy city attorney in Los Angeles, deputy public defender in Alameda County and a public defender in Pennsylvania. She earned her law degree from the Pennsylvania State University School of Law and is a Democrat.
Stephen Meister was also appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Meister has served as president of Meister Law since 2011 after earlier work as a criminal defense attorney and deputy district attorney in Los Angeles County. He received his law degree from Loyola Law School and is a Democrat.
In Orange County, Thomas Fay was appointed to the Superior Court effective June 29. Fay has served as lead appellate attorney at the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Three, since 2023 after serving as a senior appellate attorney and practicing privately. He earned his law degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, and is a Democrat.
Also appointed in Orange County was Diana King, who has served as supervising attorney in the Long Beach City Prosecutor’s Office since 2026 after serving 20 years as a deputy district attorney in Orange County. She earned her law degree from Loyola Law School and is a Democrat.
Juan Higuera was appointed to the Santa Barbara County Superior Court. Higuera has served as a deputy public defender since 2018 after previously serving as a deputy district attorney in Ventura County and practicing with private law firms. He earned his law degree from Loyola Law School and is a Democrat.
In Santa Clara County, Newsom appointed Jeremy Kroger and Bhanu Sadasivan to the Superior Court. Kroger has served as a deputy public defender since 2014 after serving as an assistant federal defender for the Eastern District of California and practicing at Munger, Tolles & Olson. He earned his law degree from New York University School of Law and is a Democrat. Sadasivan has been a partner at McDermott Will & Schulte since 2012 after practicing with Covington & Burling and Heller Ehrman. She earned her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and is registered as an Independent.
Two appointments were also announced for the San Diego County Superior Court. Brandon Kimura has served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California since 2011 after practicing at Cooley. He earned his law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law and is a Democrat. Desirae Sanders has served as a deputy public defender in San Diego County since 2011 after previously serving with the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy and in private practice. She earned her law degree from the Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University and is a Democrat.
Shaundeep Wahid was appointed to the Stanislaus County Superior Court. Wahid has served as chief deputy county counsel since 2023 after serving as deputy county counsel and previously as a deputy public defender in Stanislaus County. He earned his law degree from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law and is a Democrat.
According to the governor’s office, the annual compensation for each Superior Court judgeship is $244,727.
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