SACRAMENTO, CA – California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced recent appointments of 18 Superior Court judges, three to the Sacramento Superior Court.
One of the three appointees is Joseph M. Cress of Sacramento County, continuing the governor’s appointments of more public defenders to the bench.
Cress is a longtime public defender and has previously been a Chief Assistant Public Defender at the Sacramento County Public Defender’s Office since 2022.
Additionally, the press releases mentions that Cress was previously an Adjunct Professor at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law from 2012 to 2015.
Cress earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of California College of Law, San Francisco and fills the vacancy created by Judge James M. Mize’s retirement.
Lee S. Bickley of Sacramento County is another one of the three judges appointed by Gov. Newsom to the Sacramento Superior Court.
Bickley served as a Senior Attorney at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System since 2024, and as an Assistant U.S Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of California from 2010 to 2024.
She earned her Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School and fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Gerrit W. Wood.
Brenda R. Dabney of Sacramento County is Newsom’s third appointee to the Sacramento court.
Dabney served as the Northern California Regional Director at the Children’s Law Center of California since 2017. At the center, she has also previously served as Firm Director from 2011 to 2017, Supervising Attorney from 2005 to 2011, as well as Staff Attorney from 2001 to 2005.
Dabney earned her Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, and she fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Paul L. Seave.
