Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population as well as mayoral, city council, and district attorney election coverage in state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities. This county is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates.
Sonoma County is located within the First District Court of Appeal.
The people of Sonoma County are served by a Superior Court.
The United States District Court for the Northern District of California has jurisdiction in Sonoma County. Appeals from the Northern District go to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Judges[edit]
Sonoma County, California
Superior Court[edit]
Superior Court of Sonoma County, California
- Shelly J. Averill
- James G. Bertoli
- Pat Broderick
- Rene Auguste Chouteau
- Bradford J. DeMeo
- Kenneth J. Gnoss
- Allan D. Hardcastle
- Robert M. LaForge
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- Gary Nadler
- Lawrence E. Ornell
- Peter K. Ottenweller
- Barbara Phelan
- Nancy Case Shaffer
- Troye Kendall Shaffer
- Dana B. Simonds
- Jamie Thistlethwaite
- Arthur A. Wick[1]
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Elections[edit]
- See also: California judicial elections
California is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. To learn more about judicial selection in California, click here.
- California local trial court judicial elections, 2025
- California local trial court judicial elections, 2024
- California local trial court judicial elections, 2023
- California local trial court judicial elections, 2022
- California local trial court judicial elections, 2021
- California local trial court judicial elections, 2020
- California local trial court judicial elections, 2019
- California local trial court judicial elections, 2018
- California local trial court judicial elections, 2017
- California local trial court judicial elections, 2016
- California judicial elections, 2014
- California judicial elections, 2012
- California judicial elections, 2010
Election rules[edit]
Primary election[edit]
Only candidates for the superior courts compete in primary elections.
- If a superior court judge runs unopposed for re-election, his or her name does not appear on the ballot and he or she is automatically re-elected following the general election.[2][3]
- Write-in candidates may file to run against an incumbent within 10 days after the filing deadline passes if they are able to secure enough signatures (between 100 and 600, depending on the number of registered voters in the county). In that case, the incumbent would appear on the general election ballot along with an option to vote for a write-in candidate.[3]
- In contested races, the candidate who receives a majority of all the votes in the primary wins the election. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes in the primary, the top two compete in the November general election.[4]
General election[edit]
- Superior court candidates who advance from the primary election compete in the general election.
- Superior court incumbents facing competition from write-in candidates appear on the ballot.[3][4]
See also[edit]
- California counties
- Courts in California
[edit]
- ↑ The Judicial Branch of California, "Judges Roster," accessed August 20, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Safeguarding California's judicial election process," August 21, 2011
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 California Elections Code, "Section 8203," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 California Elections Code, "Section 8140-8150," accessed April 22, 2014
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