Picking up the appointment pace, Brown appoints 23 superior court judges

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown appointed 23 new judges to 11superior courts on Monday, including nine in Los Angeles County.

As a group, the appointees could leave their mark on the state's judiciary for many years to come. Nine are still in their 40s. Only four are older than 55.

Eighteen of the appointees fill openings created by retirements or deaths. Brown has promised to begin filling vacancies at a higher rate in the last two years in office, as his predecessor Arnold Schwarzeneggerdid.

In keeping with the Brown administration's stated goal of diversifying thebench, 10 of the appointees are women. Several are of Hispanic, African-American or Asian-American ancestry.

The group also comes from varied political and legal backgrounds. Five appointees are Republicans, while one is registered as having no party preference. Seventeen are Democrats.

Seven appointees have worked as deputy public defenders. Another seven are being elevated from commissioner positions.

One of thesecommissioners is Winston S. Keh in San Bernardino County. Keh, 54,hasbeen ajuvenile court commissionersince November 2015.

A native of the Philippines,Keh and a sister were basically left to care for three younger siblings while they were still in their teens. His mother died when he was 13. At 16, his father and stepmother returned to their native country, leaving the five children in Van Nuys.

"While other folks after high school were attending UCLA, I was working at one point three jobs," Keh told the Daily Journal in a December profile.

Keh credits a high school government teacher with getting him interested in the law and public service. His legal career began with amailroom job at a law firm. He graduated with honors from University of La Verne College of Lawin his mid-30s.

Joining him on the San Bernardino County Superior Court is Antoine F. Raphael,47,a longtime assistant U.S.attorney who has had his own law office for the past three years.

Along with neighboring Riverside County, San Bernardino County has long been one of the most underserved courts in California according to figures from the Judicial Council.

For the past several years, area legislators have unsuccessfully carried bills to bring more judges to thesecounties. This year is no different. Trying a slightly different approach thanmoving judicialpositions, one current bill, AB 745,would allow commissioners to oversee some criminal matters.

Riverside County did not get any new judges in the latest round of appointments. But the county did get twojudges when Brown named 26 new judges just before Christmas.

Somnath Raj Chatterjee, 47, was named to the Alameda County Superior Court. A longtime partner at Morrison and Foerster LLP, Chatterjee will leave a partner position at Antolin Agarwal and Chatterjee LLP he accepted only this year.

Contra Costa County Superior Court gains two new judges. Benjamin T. Reyes,51,will leave Meyers, Nave, Riback, Silver and Wilson PLC, where he has worked since 2001 and been a principal since 2005. He has a background in public law, having workedin the San Josecityattorney'soffice and for the East Bay Municipal Utility District.

Wade M. Rhyne, 41, will take the bench havingmost recentlybeen a trial attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He spent a decade in the criminal division at the U.S.attorney'soffice in the Northern District of California.

Gregory J. Elvine-Kreis,47,takes the bench in Humboldt County after serving as a supervising public defenderin the office where he has worked since 2010.

Gloria J. Cannon, 48,will become a judge in Kern County after a decade and a half in the local public defender's office.

As often happens, the immense Los Angeles County Superior Court dominates the appointments by sheer numbers. Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha, 55, of La Cañada Flintridge, leaves White& Case LLP after a dozen years as partner.He previously worked for the U.S.attorney's office in the Central District from 1990 to 1999.

Sarah J. Heidel, 42,also worked for the U.S.attorney's office in the Central District, since 2005. She clerked for9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Ferdinand F. Fernandez.

Robert S. Harrison, 59,spent more than a decade as a commissioner in Los Angeles County. For12 years before that, he served as a part-timehearing officer for the Los Angeles Police Department Board of Rights.

Longtime legal aid attorney Gus T. May, 52,joined Bet Tzedek Legal Services in 2001. Last year, he was named directing attorney. Earlier in his career, he clerked forU.S. District JudgeA. Howard Matzof the Central District of California and forU.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karltonof the Eastern District of California.

Rubiya Nur of Diamond Bar, 52,takes the bench after nearly a decade as a sole practitioner.She wasa deputy public defender in Los Angeles County from 2001 to 2008.

Nancy A. Ramirez, 52,is being elevated to the bench after serving as a commissioner since 2014. She spent most of her career at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, starting in 1991 as a staff attorney before being named managing attorney in 2001 and western regional counsel in 2007. She also worked in various roles for former U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez from 1997 to 1999.

Lynn H. Scaduto was an associate at Munger, Tolles and Olson LLP from 2000 to 2011, before joining the U.S.attorney'soffice in theCentral District of California. She is 46.

The youngest appointee is Neetu S. Badhan-Smith, 40. She has served as a deputy public defender in Los Angeles County since 2004. Prior to that, she was at attorney at the Southern California Housing Rights Center.

J. Christopher Smith, 50,became a sole practitioner in 2008 before being named a Los Angeles County Superior Court commissioner in 2015. From 2005 to 2008, he was the lead staff attorney at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law Institute for Administrative Justice's California Parole Advocacy Program.

Orange County Superior Court is gaining two new judges from opposite sides of the criminal courtroom. Carol L. Henson, 55, joined the Orange Countydistrictattorney'soffice in 1992. She has servedas asenior deputy district attorney.

Antony C. Ufland, 51,has been with the Orange Countyalternatedefender'soffice since 1993.

Tana L. Coates, 58,joins the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court fromCoates and Coates LLP, where she has been a partner since 2009. She has spent her career working in private law firms.

The oldest appointeeis Santa Cruz County Superior Court's Kim E. Baskett of Watsonville, 64.She has been a commissioner for a decade. Prior to that, she spent four years as a traffic referee and nearly a decade in the Santa Cruz County Counsel's Office.

Shasta County gained two new judges. Daryl E. Kennedy, 59,was promoted after serving as a commissioner since 2013. He served as the court's general counsel from 2001 to 2013.

Adam B. Ryan, 46, comes to the bench after a career as a private attorney, mainlyas a solo.

Laura S. Woods, 53,will join Tehama County Superior Court afterdefending clients for the county through her own firm since 2008. She also served two stints as a deputy district attorney in the countyand worked as a research attorney for Shasta County Superior Court from 2009 to 2014.