California judicial elections, 2014
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Overview
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Total candidates:
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608
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Primary candidates:
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111
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General election candidates:
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520
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Incumbency
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Incumbents:
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509
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Incumbent success rate:
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99%
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Competition - general election
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Percent of candidates in contested races:
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4%
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Percent uncontested:
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86%
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Percent retention:
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10%
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The key races amongst many California judicial elections in 2014 were the contested superior court races. Though not all voters in the state got to choose between two or more judicial candidates, those who live in the following counties were able to shape their trial courts: Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Imperial, Los Angeles, Monterey, Nevada, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Yolo and Yuba.
Of the 470 superior court judges who ran for re-election in the 2014 general election, 450 were unopposed and did not appear on the ballot. There were 10 contested races in which two incumbents were defeated.
Also in 2014, voters had the opportunity to choose whether or not to retain certain justices of the supreme court and the courts of appeal. Such retention elections only occur every four years.
- See: California elections summary, 2014.
In addition to candidate lists, this page includes information about how the state's judicial elections work, as well as articles about noteworthy news in races across the state.
Election dates[edit]
- March 7: Filing deadline for superior court candidates
- June 3: Primary
- August 15: Filing deadline for appellate court justices seeking retention
- November 4: General election[1][2]
General election: Contested races[edit]
(I) denotes incumbent
Calaveras County Superior Court, Dept. 1
Calaveras County Superior Court, Dept. 2
Fresno County Superior Court, Office 15
Los Angeles County Superior Court, Office 61
Los Angeles County Superior Court, Office 87
Nevada County Superior Court, Seat 1
Orange County Superior Court, Office 14
San Diego County Superior Court, Office 25
San Francisco County Superior Court, Office 20
Santa Clara County Superior Court, Office 24
General election: Retentions[edit]
Justices of the appellate courts face retention every four years.[2]
Supreme court[edit]
Retention
Justice Werdegar, 78, was retained along with Justice Liu, who was 44 at the time of the election. Liu was appointed in 2011 and won his first full term in 2014.[3][4]
Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar was appointed to the court by Governor Jerry Brown in July 2014, and was retained to a full term in November 2014.[5]
Courts of appeal[edit]
First District Court of Appeal[edit]
Retention
Second District Court of Appeal[edit]
Retention
Third District Court of Appeal[edit]
Retention
Fourth District Court of Appeal[edit]
Retention
Fifth District Court of Appeal[edit]
Retention
Sixth District Court of Appeal[edit]
Retention
General election: Uncontested[edit]
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.[6]
The following candidates were unopposed in 2014.
Alameda County Superior Court
Alpine County Superior Court
Butte County Superior Court
Contra Costa County Superior Court
Del Norte County Superior Court
El Dorado County Superior Court
Fresno County Superior Court
Kern County Superior Court
Kings County Superior Court
Los Angeles County Superior Court
Madera County Superior Court
Marin County Superior Court
Mendocino County Superior Court
Merced County Superior Court
Monterey County Superior Court
Napa County Superior Court
Placer County Superior Court
Riverside County Superior Court
Sacramento County Superior Court
San Bernardino County Superior Court
San Diego County Superior Court
San Francisco County Superior Court
San Joaquin County Superior Court
San Luis Obispo County Superior Court
San Mateo County Superior Court
Santa Barbara County Superior Court
Santa Clara County Superior Court
Santa Cruz County Superior Court
Shasta County Superior Court
Siskiyou County Superior Court
Solano County Superior Court
Stanislaus County Superior Court
Tuolumne County Superior Court
Ventura County Superior Court
Yolo County Superior Court
Yuba County Superior Court
Primary[edit]
For candidate lists and results from the judicial primary on June 3, 2014, please see: California primary elections, 2014.
Process[edit]
Retention[edit]
Justices of the California Supreme Court and California Courts of Appeal must run for retention in the first gubernatorial election after they are appointed and then every 12 years, when their terms expire, in November. In these elections, justices do not compete against another candidate. Instead, voters are given a "yes" or "no" choice as to whether to keep the justice in office for another term. The justice must receive a majority of "yes" votes to remain in office. If a justice is not retained, the governor appoints a replacement who must run for retention in the next gubernatorial election following their appointment.[7][2]
Justices are typically retained. Since the state started its system of retention elections in 1934, the only year that any supreme court justice was not retained was 1986. That year, three justices were ousted from the bench due to ruling against the death penalty.[8][9] In 2010, all of the justices who faced retention were retained. Supreme court justices were retained by an average of 66.8% of votes, while justices of the intermediate appellate courts were retained by an average of 71.0% of the votes.
See: California judicial elections for more details.
Nonpartisan elections[edit]
Superior court judges run in nonpartisan elections and participate in primaries. They must run for re-election every six years, if they wish to continue serving on the court. (Appointed judges are required to run once the term they were appointed to fill expires.)
When running for re-election, a sitting judge may face one or more opponents. Write-in candidates may also file to run against an incumbent within 10 days after the filing deadline passes, if they are able to secure enough signatures, generally between 100 and 600, depending on the number of registered voters in the county. In both cases, the incumbent's name appears on the general election ballot along with an option to vote for a write-in candidate.[6] If one candidate receives over 50% of the votes in the primary, he or she wins the seat without having to run in the general election. If no candidate receives over 50% of the primary votes, the top two vote-getters, for a single seat in the primary, advance to the general election.[10]
If a superior court judge runs unopposed for re-election, his or her name does not appear on the ballot in either the primary or general election, and the judge is automatically re-elected following the general election.[6]
The fees for filing declarations of candidacy:
In lieu of paying this filing fee, candidates may submit signatures. The number of signatures that must be submitted vary by court and county.
- Justices of the supreme court must submit 10,000 signatures.
- Judges of the courts of appeal must submit 8,299 signatures.
- The number of signatures required for candidates for the superior courts is 7,252 (four signatures for every dollar of the filing fee) or 10-20 percent of the total registered voters in the county--whichever is less. The 10 percent applies to counties with more than 2,000 registered voters, while the 20 percent applies to counties with fewer than 2,000 registered voters.[11]
The following articles were current as of the dates listed.
Recount expected in LA County Superior Court raceJune 5, 2014 | Click for story→ |
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In an extremely narrow race, deputy district attorney Carol Najera edged out incumbent James B. Pierce by a fraction of a percent in the primary for the Los Angeles County Superior Court.[14]
When the polls closed on June 3, Najera had laid claim to 50.39 percent of the popular vote, compared to Pierce's 49.61 percent. It was a difference of 3,601 votes, but that was less than one percent of the total votes cast.[15] Though some states default to an automatic recount in races this narrow, California election law does not provide for this. However, the political blog Los Angeles Dragnet stated "[e]xpect a recount in this race" anyway.[14]
[16]
Najera was not the only deputy district attorney to win a superior court judgeship in Los Angeles County this election season. Other DA’s who found favor in the primary included: Amy Carter (Office No. 22), Andrew Cooper (Office No. 157), Donna Hollingsworth Armstrong (Office No. 138) and Stacy Wiese (Office No. 107).[14] |
Crowded Nevada County raceMay 29, 2014 | Click for story→ |
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See also: JP Election Brief: Primary season in high gear--what you may have missed and upcoming races to watch
A contest for a seat on the Nevada County Superior Court was a crowded one, with five candidates competing for the seat. It was one of the state's most-populated judicial contests in 2014, tied with a race for the Fresno County Superior Court.[17]
Openings on the court are rare, with most candidates hesitant to run against a sitting judge. For those reasons, the retirement of Sean P. Dowling, offered a rare opportunity for those who were interested to run for the seat.[17][17]
Angela L. Bradrick is a research attorney for the court, a position she’s held since 2010. Before that she was a research attorney for the Placer County Superior Court. Bradick has also served as a judge pro tem, sitting in family court, family support, civil, probate, small claims and traffic courts. She earned her J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1999.[18]
For seven years, Anna Ferguson served an assistant district attorney in the Nevada County District Attorney’s Office. She’s also worked as a civil attorney at an insurance defense firm, a deputy public defender, a deputy district attorney in Kings County and a special assistant inspector general for the Inspector General’s Office of the State of California. During her 20-year career, which has taken her to several different parts of the state, Ferguson has tried over 100 jury trials. She earned her J.D. from Pepperdine University, School of Law.[18]
Jeff Ingram filed to run for the seat just a few minutes before the filing deadline. He also decided not to seek contributions to fund his election campaign.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many Ingram has a private law practice in Penn Valley and specializes in employment law and civil litigation. He has been a lawyer in Nevada County for 26 years.[18]
Ingram ran for Nevada County supervisor in 1998 against incumbent Rene Antonson. After the primary, Ingram and a write-in candidate competed in the general election, with the write-in candidate winning by less than 200 votes. Ingram served for four years on the Nevada County Airport Commission. He also served for four years on the board of directors for the Penn Valley Fire Protection District.[18]
Jeffrey A. Lake represented a group who tried to prevent the county's medical marijuana cultivation ordinance from being passed. A campaign mailer carried the tagline: "Cultivate your rights. Vote Lake for Superior Court judge."Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many He has his own law firm which he started in 2001. His main law practice is based in San Diego, although he lives in Nevada City. During the 23 years he has practiced law, Lake has represented clients in a variety of civil cases involving: product liability and other tort actions, construction defect cases, real property and business transactions transactions as well as contract disputes. He serves as a director and member of several nonprofit organizations which are located in the San Diego area. Lake earned his J.D. from the California Western School of Law in 1991.[18]
Robert Tice-Raskin, the winner in the race, served as a federal prosecutor, at the trial and appellate court levels. He served as the chief of the white collar crime unit for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento, California. From 2007 until he assumed the bench after the 2014 election win, Tice-Raskin served as a judge pro tem in superior courts in Nevada County, Placer County and Sacramento County. As a judge pro tem, he heard small claims cases, contract and tort matters. Between 1990 and 1994, he was an attorney with the law firm of Irell & Manella and worked as a law clerk for former federal judge J. Lawrence Irving. Tice-Raskin has a manager for his campaign and has obtained the most endorsements of any candidate. He earned his J.D. from Harvard in 1989.[18] |
California candidate not pleased with removal of her billboardsMay 15, 2014 | Click for story→ |
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See also: JP Election Brief: Candidate attacks
Carla Keehn ran against incumbent Lisa Schall for election to the San Diego County Superior Court. The federal prosecutor paid $14,000 to place ads on billboards owned by Clear Channel for 30 days, in advance of the election. According to an article on the website for public broadcasting station KPBS, the billboards said:
“
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Vote for Carla Keehn...The only candidate for this office not convicted of a crime. Because no one is above the law, not even judges.[19]
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”
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—Carla Keehn campaign[20]
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The language in Keehn's ad referenced Schall's October 2007 DUI charge. Schall later entered a plea to a lesser charge of reckless driving. The California Commission on Judicial Performance publicly admonished Schall following her plea. The commission previously issued private admonishments of Schall for her behavior on the bench in 1995 and 1999.[21] Despite these past issues, for the 2014 judicial elections, the San Diego County Bar Association rated Schall as "well-qualified." Keehn was rated as "qualified."[22]
An article in the San Diego Free Press, indicated Keehn’s campaign reserved the billboards five months ago. An April 21 e-mail from an account executive at Clear Channel suggested changes for the billboard ad to emphasize the fact that Keehn was "the only candidate not convicted of a crime."[23] The ads were displayed on billboards beginning on May 7, but by May 9 they had been removed.
On the morning of May 9, Keehn’s campaign reported receiving an e-mail from Clear Channel with photos which commented positively on the billboards. However, later in the day the company e-mailed the campaign again, indicating "we have a problem."[23] The company initially said the billboards would remain up through the weekend, but then said they would be taken down "ASAP."[23] In an e-mail response to the Free Press the following week, Clear Channel indicated Keehn’s ads were taken down because they did not follow the company’s protocol for political ads.[23]
Keehn stated she felt the removal of the billboards was a violation of her right to free speech. However, she also stated she'd continue to "challenge Schall to stand up for what’s right."[20]
Schall did not offer a comment on the matter.[20] |
Big shoes to fill in Fresno CountyApril 10, 2014 | Click for story→ |
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See also: JP Election Brief: The "E" word in judicial elections: Ethics
Robert H. Oliver served as a judge on the Superior Court of Fresno County from 1998 until his retirement in January 2015. The January opening on the court attracted five candidates, and each hoped to convince voters they would be the best choice to follow in the footsteps of the popular Judge Oliver.[24]
Judge Brad Hill of the California Fifth District Court of Appeal said:
“
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It has never been just a job to [Judge Oliver]. Being a judge is something he feels privileged to do and he feels every case means the world to the folks in the courtroom so he makes sure to do everything he can to ensure justice is served.[19]
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”
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—Judge Brad Hill[24]
| Oliver also was the recipient of various awards, including the Foundation Service Award in 2010, which is awarded by The California State University, Fresno Foundation. According to the Fresno State News, this award is given to those who "have achieved a high level of stature in their profession that reflects favorably upon the Fresno community and to those who have demonstrated significant leadership in the goals of the university."[25]
The five candidates for the position were Phillip Jarrett Cline, Lisa M. Gamoian, Rachel Hill, Steven D. Smith, and Charles F. Magill. Cline worked as a police officer and prosecutor.[26] Gamoian, who ultimately won the election, served as the chief of homicide at the Fresno County District Attorney's Office.[27] Hill is an attorney and professor at San Joaquin College of Law.[28] Smith has been an administrative law judge for the past five years.[29] Charles Magill and his wife co-founded Magill & Guzman Magill in 2002.[30] |
Meet the Yolo County Superior Court candidatesApril 10, 2014 | Click for story→ |
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See also: JP Election Brief: The "E" word in judicial elections: Ethics
Four candidates faced-off for the Department 3 seat on the Yolo County Superior Court in June, the only contested race in the county in 2014. The four candidates vied to replace Judge Stephen L. Mock, who retired in January 2015. The Daily Democrat recently highlighted this race and provided background information on each of the candidates. Snapshots of each person are provided below.[31][32]
Janene Beronio:
Beronio, before winning the 2014 election, served as a commissioner on the superior court. She stated, "I know this court system better than almost anybody that is still around."[31]
She was, in fact, the court's first commissioner and served in that role from 1989 until her election to the court in 2014. Prior to that, she was a deputy district attorney in Yolo County. Beronio stated that good judges should be compassionate, explaining, "You can give a defendant a tough sentence, but if you do it with compassion, then they understand that."[31] Beronio boasts the support of the outgoing judge.
John P. Brennan:
Brennan has been practicing law since 1994. He spent ten years as a deputy district attorney, working with the domestic violence unit and the gang and hate crime unit. He then opened his own law practice. He said his experience gives him a "unique perspective to be the most effective judge for Yolo County."[31]
Fredrick Cohen:
Cohen brings family law experience to the table. The Sacramento-based attorney and family law specialist has practiced law since 1989. Regarding the complicated nature of that practice, he explained, "You need to be able to handle the emotional atmosphere and the intellectual challenges that come with family law."[32] He also pointed out that family law, which often helps protect children early on in their lives, may help prevent future crimes.
Larenda Delaini:
Delaini works as a deputy attorney general and boasts deep ties to the community as a native of West Sacramento. Regarding her decision to run for the judgeship, she said: "I've always just wanted to serve the community and help people."[32] Her primary focus is criminal law. She became a deputy attorney general in 2008 and previously served as a deputy district attorney. She also teaches as an adjunct professor at Sacramento City College. |
Incumbent shunned by Santa Clara County Bar AssociationMarch 27, 2014 | Click for story→ |
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See also: JP Election Brief: Women successful in judicial races as incumbents face challengers
Judge Diane Ritchie faced election competition for her seat on the Superior Court of Santa Clara County in 2014. Surprisingly, the Santa Clara County Bar Association announced on March 24 their endorsement for one of her challengers, Matt Harris. This was the result of an internal poll by the association in which attorneys were asked to rate the judicial candidates up for office this year.[33]
172 attorneys voted Harris as qualified for the judgeship. Candidate Annrae Angel was voted qualified by 95 attorneys, while Judge Ritchie had only 76 votes in her favor.[34] The full results of the poll are below:
Harris, before winning the 2014 election, served as a deputy district attorney. Angel at the time of the election worked as a defense attorney in private practice.[34] They are the first candidates since 1998 to challenge a sitting judge in Santa Clara County. That year, the incumbent won, as is often the case.[33]
Judge Ritchie was criticized in early 2014 by the San Jose Mercury News, which wrote that "in interviews with nearly 100 legal sources over the past five years, including lawyers who have appeared in her court, courthouse staff and fellow judges, [Ritchie] was singled out repeatedly for her struggles to master the job."[35]
Judge Ritchie received mixed reviews in the Santa Clara County Bar Association's 2011 judicial survey. She was rated highly in categories like integrity, work ethic and judicial temperament but received lower marks for knowledge of the law and dispute resolution.[36] More recently, challenger Annrae Angel said of the judge, "I definitely think I can do a better job."[37]
However, Judge Derek Woodhouse voiced support for his colleague, stating,
“
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Judge Ritchie has done an excellent job and deserves re-election. She is intelligent and has a good judicial temperament.[19]
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”
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—Hon. Derek Woodhouse[35]
| Judge Ritchie's campaign responded to the bar's decision:
“
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It has been clear from the beginning that Judge Ritchie is not the candidate of the insiders, given the limited negative and anonymous information that has been disseminated. Her tenure on the bench has been to serve those who put her there, the people of Santa Clara County, and she is proud of her record on the bench.[19]
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”
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—Rich Robinson, political consultant/spokesman for Judge Ritchie's campaign[33]
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See also[edit]
External links[edit]
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Key Dates and Deadlines," 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; no text was provided for refs named appellate
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "California Supreme Court headed for change," April 4, 2014
- ↑ Stanford Law School, "Justice Goodwin Liu," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State Voter Guide, "Justices of the Supreme Court," accessed August 26, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 California Elections Code, "Section 8203," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Justices of the Supreme Court," accessed June 1, 2014
- ↑ Santa Clara Law Review (Volume 28, No. 2), "California Judicial Retention Elections," by Gerald F. Uelmen, 1988
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Judicial Selection in the States: California", archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ California Elections Code, "Section 8140-8150," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 California Elections Code, "Section 8100-8107," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Section 3: Candidate Filing Information for the 2014 primary election," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Judicial Salary Tracker," accessed April 21, 2014
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Los Angeles Dragnet, "Historic Victories in Primary Election," June 4, 2014
- ↑ Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/Clerk, "Superior Court Primary Election Results," June 4, 2014
- ↑ Commission on Government Reform – U.S. House of Representatives, "Summaries of State Election Procedures," November 2002
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Tahoe Daily Tribune, "Election 2014: Nevada County Judicial candidates face crowded field, May 23, 2014
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 Tahoe Daily Tribune, "Election 2014: 5 vie for Nevada Co. Superior Court Judge Seat 1," May 23, 2014
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 KPBS, "San Diego Judicial Candidate Says Rights Violated When Billboards Removed," May 13, 2014
- ↑ Metropolitan News-Enterprise, "San Diego judge publicly censured over 'wet-reckless' plea," September 17, 2008, accessed February 27, 2014
- ↑ San Diego County Bar Association, "2014 San Diego Judge Elections: Judicial Candidate Ratings," accessed May 14, 2014
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 San Diego Free Press, "Clear Channel Responds to Political Pressure, Quashes Billboard Ads for Judicial Candidate," May 12, 2014
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 The Fresno Bee, "Fresno County Judge Robert Oliver retiring next year," January 27, 2014
- ↑ Fresno State News, "Robert H. Oliver is Fresno State Foundation Service Award recipient," April 22, 2010
- ↑ Cline for Judge, "Positions," accessed June 1, 2014
- ↑ Lisa Gamoian for judge 2014, "About Lisa," accessed June 1, 2014
- ↑ Hill 4 Judge, "About," accessed June 1, 2014
- ↑ Elect Steven Smith for Judge, "Home," accessed June 1, 2014
- ↑ Charles Magill judge, "Biography of Charles Magill," accessed June 1, 2014
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 Daily Democrat, "Yolo judicial candidates have wide range of experience," April 6, 2014 (Part 1)
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Daily Democrat, "Yolo judicial candidates have wide range of experience," April 6, 2014 (Part 2)
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 San Jose Mercury News, "Bar association gives judge cold shoulder," March 25, 2014
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 Santa Clara County Bar Association, "Santa Clara County Bar Association Endorses Dennis Lempert and Matt Harris in Contested Superior Court Seats," March 24, 2014
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 San Jose Mercury News, "Rookie San Jose judge still struggles on the job, sources say," February 1, 2014
- ↑ Santa Clara County Bar Association, "Judicial Survey Results - Diane Ritchie," 2011
- ↑ San Jose Mercury News, "Santa Clara County: First sitting judge to face competition in re-election," February 4, 2014