Judge Amyra C. Cobb-Hampton works to inspire young people

The event was called Girls on the Rise, and for Judge Amyra C. Cobb-Hampton of the Solano County Superior Court it was like a flashback to her childhood when she first learned about the law.

At the May 2024 occasion in Fairfield, women in the legal field joined with a local commission for women and girls to give courthouse tours and discussions about their jobs.

Cobb-Hampton said she and another judge wanted to familiarize girls with jobs in the legal system after they learned about a similar career day that took place in Southern California.

"I liked the idea that we must do this in Solano County," said Cobb-Hampton, who was a co-presenter at the event. "I wanted to inspire girls the same way I was inspired, as well as the same way that many women and men in the legal profession inspired me."

Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Cobb-Hampton to the bench on Nov. 7, 2022. She had been a deputy alternate public defender in Solano County since 2010. She is assigned to the county's busy family law department.

There were no Girls on the Rise events when Cobb-Hampton was growing up in a large, extended family in West Oakland. Instead, she got an early inkling of her future career when her mother got a traffic ticket.

"She picked me up after school and took me with her to court," said the woman who's now a family law judge. "I was 6 or 7, a talkative child, and she said, 'Don't say anything,' so I sat there and took it all in."

What Cobb-Hampton saw inspired in her a fascination with the law and lawyers and courtrooms and judges, she said, and she asked her mother to return with her to the courtroom often to observe trials. The fact that the faces of everyone in authority were white became a challenge, she said. "I didn't see anyone who looked like me in a judicial role."

In her world, little African American girls grew up to be teachers or nurses. "I wanted to add racial and gender inclusion to a white legal society," she said.

In sixth grade, she told a classmate she wanted to be a judge. The girl's father was a lawyer, and Cobb-Hampton soon met local African American bar leaders such as George Holland Sr., Judge Gloria F. Rhynes and Judge Horace Wheatley.

"They were very supportive of my goals," Cobb-Hampton recalled, "but my career path was also motivated by the people I met every day in my neighborhood, not always the best of people, but they inspired me to be better."

Cobb-Hampton recalls vividly her start on tough streets. "I was raised amid a lot of poverty, in what you'd call the lower middle class. My friends were the victims and perpetrators of violence. Some were even in prison. Many didn't have the same opportunities I had. That helps me to be a judicial officer and allows me to show respect across the spectrum."

Lawyers have noticed.

"She's new to the job, but she has a cool head and an excellent judicial temperament," said Sarah B. Russo, a founder and the managing partner of the family law and criminal defense firm Russo & Prince LLP in Suisun City.

"She has a lot of patience for the litigants. She makes them feel heard and respected, and her calm is an asset. If she doesn't know an answer, she's quick to take a break to go research it. She's one of my favorite judicial officers."

Russo recalled a difficult custody case before Cobb-Hampton in which her client was the father. "The mother had a significant drug and alcohol problem, and I could tell the judge was upset that she had relapsed again and would have to give up her child. Judge Cobb-Hampton made sure the woman understood that the situation was serious, but that there was a path forward for her. I'd seen this woman be very emotional on previous court dates, and this time could have been very messy, but the woman left calmly with the understanding that the judge would give her another shot if she could straighten out."

Cobb-Hampton's mother, a registered nurse, had an identical twin sister who lived with the family. "So, between my mother and my aunt I was shaped to see two sides to everything," she said. "My upbringing gave me the energy to keep going forward. All I talked about was the law."

Cobb-Hampton earned a bachelor's degree in political science and rhetoric at UC Berkeley, an MBA at Golden Gate University School of Business and graduated from Golden Gate's School of Law. She got her bar card in 2006. She began as a volunteer attorney for the San Francisco County public defender, moved to the San Joaquin County public defender's office and, in 2009, joined the Alameda County criminal courts' appointed attorney program. She then worked as a deputy alternate public defender in Solano County.

In that role she represented a Fairfield man accused of trying to kill his ex-girlfriend with a knife. At a 2019 trial a jury found the man--despite a history of domestic violence--not guilty of attempted murder. They deadlocked on a lesser charge and found him not guilty of mayhem and criminal threat charges. In a subsequent plea deal, he agreed to a four-year prison term for assault. People v. Duvauchelle, FCR339851 (Solano Co. Super. Ct., filed Aug. 14, 2018).

"Yes, this was considered a major defense win," Cobb-Hampton said.

Cobb-Hampton said she decided to apply for a judgeship during the COVID-19 pandemic. "It took four to six months of work to make an application that really represented me," she said.

Now, in her divorce court assignment, she's fully occupied. "Family law may be the busiest division here," she said. "On law and motion day I sometimes have 24 matters in the morning and ex parte motions and trial starting at 2 p.m."

Even with a heavy workload, Cobb-Hampton stays calm. Said Brittany Hendrix-Smith, a family law specialist at Hendrix-Smith & Jones APC in Martinez, "Judge Cobb-Hampton is smart, thoughtful and has a wonderful demeanor for her current family law assignment. She is able to hear from litigants calmly, and makes firm, but informed rulings based on her knowledge of the case."

Added Terese Anne Ray of the Law Office of Terry Ray in Vallejo, "She is very patient with every litigant regardless of how they are behaving in a very tense environment. Family Law is difficult with emotions running high. I have never seen Judge Cobb-Hampton change her demeanor, no matter the situation. I have seen litigants be very disrespectful to her and she has always maintained the same poise and patience that she shows everyone."

Here are some of Judge Cobb-Hampton's recent cases and the attorneys involved:
Sanchez - Porras v. Romero, FFL158388 - dissolution
For petitioner: C. Elizabeth Anderson, Law Office of Elizabeth Anderson, Fairfield
For respondent: Jorge Aquiles Pichardo Jr., Fairfield

Wingo v. Penniman, FFL161878 - custody
For petitioner: Stephen A. Montagna, Montagna Family Law APC, Fairfield
For respondent: Giselle Rodriguez, Law Offices of Giselle Rodriguez, Fairfield

Dilgard v. Bruner, FFL161433 - custody
For petitioner: Stephen A. Montagna, Montagna Family Law APC, Fairfield
For respondent: Anthony G. Proffitt, Proffitt Law, Fairfield
Minors' counsel: Keith M. Banks, Pakpour Banks, LLP, Davis

Smith v. Smith, FFL159618 - dissolution
For petitioner: Justin K. Tabayoyon, JKT Law Inc., Sacramento
For respondent: Keith M. Banks, Pakpour Banks, LLP, Davis

Devan v. Lane, FFL162689 - custody
For petitioner: Gary D. Sparks, California Will & Trust | CWT Legal, Fairfield
For respondent: Lissette Jackson-Shepherd, Shepherd Legal Advocate, Fairfield