Chief Justice Appoints Nine New Judicial Council Members

Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero appointed three new voting members and six new advisory (non-voting) members to the Judicial Council. Four voting members were also reappointed.

“The council consists of judges, court executives, attorneys, and legislators who volunteer their time to help make the court system consistent, impartial, and accessible,” said the Chief Justice. “I thank our members for their dedication and service to the people of California.”

The following new voting members of the council begin three-year terms starting Sept. 15:

• Judge Michelle Williams Court, Superior Court of Los Angeles County, serves as supervising judge of the court’s civil division and as chair of the court’s Technology Committee. She has also served on the court’s Executive Committee, Commissioner Selection Committee, Local Rules Committee, Civil Bench-Bar Committee, Media Committee, Diversity Committee, and Community Outreach Committee. In addition, Judge Court serves on the Judicial Council’s Civil and Small Claims Advisory Committee and on the California Supreme Court’s Committee on Judicial Ethics Opinions. She is also a member of the American Law Institute.
   
• Judge Charles S. Crompton, Superior Court of San Francisco County, oversees the court’s behavioral health and mental health diversion departments, and previously worked in both civil and criminal assignments. He serves on the Housing Task Force for the Legal Services Corporation and the board of Legal Link, which provides access to free legal services. Judge Crompton also serves on the Board of Code Tenderloin, a workforce-development nonprofit for underserved communities, as well as on the Advisory Board of Swords to Plowshares, a nonprofit helping veterans obtain housing and other benefits.
   
• Assistant Presiding Judge Maureen F. Hallahan, Superior Court of San Diego County, has served in both family law and criminal assignments and serves on the court’s Executive Committee. She has served on the Judicial Council’s Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee and AB 1058 Task Force. She has also served as faculty for the Family Primary Assignment Orientation, Supervising Judges Institute, Cow County Institute, Domestic Violence Institute, and the B. E. Witkin Judicial College.

The following two new advisory (non-voting) members of the council begin one-year terms starting Sept. 15:

• Presiding Judge Maria D. Hernandez, Superior Court of Orange County, will serve a one-year term on the council as chair of the council’s Trial Court Presiding Judges Advisory Committee. Judge Hernandez spent nine years with the county’s juvenile court, serving as the presiding judge from 2014 to 2018. She also created and presided over a dedicated court addressing commercially sexually exploited children and cochaired a committee addressing boys in the child welfare system. She recently launched a Young Adult Court, which addresses the special needs of emerging adults charged with felonies in the criminal justice system. Judge Hernandez has also served the Judicial Council’s Advisory Committee on Providing Access and Fairness, as well as the Keeping Kids in School and Out of Court Initiative.
   
• Judge Erica R. Yew, Superior Court of Santa Clara County, will serve a one-year term on the council as the 92nd President of the California Judges Association (CJA). Judge Yew also serves on the California Supreme Court’s Committee on Judicial Ethics Opinions and has served on the Commission on Judicial Performance. Judge Yew was also a member of California Access to Justice and has taught on judicial ethics, the elimination of bias in the court system, language access in the legal system, and the function and work of collaborative courts. Judge Yew has served on the Judicial Council’s Advisory Committee on Providing Access and Fairness, the Task Force on Self-Represented Litigants, and the Judicial Recruitment and Retention Working Group. Judge Yew served a previous term on the Judicial Council from 2009 to 2012.

The following four new advisory (non-voting) members of the council begin three-year terms starting Sept. 15:

• Commissioner Alin D. Cintean, Superior Court of Sacramento County, has practiced law since 2005, initially as a prosecutor and subsequently as defense counsel. He was certified as a Criminal Law Specialist by the California State Bar, Board of Legal Specialization. Commissioner Cintean is a member of the Sacramento Court Criminal Law Committee, which is tasked with reviewing and analyzing new developments in criminal law, developing best practices for judges and court personnel, and providing education and training.
   
• Kate Bieker, court executive officer for the Superior Court of Contra Costa County, has more than 15 years of experience in court administration and her areas of expertise include court operations, facilities, information technology, and finance. She is an executive member of the Judicial Council’s Court Executives Advisory Committee and serves on that committee’s Joint Rules Subcommittee. She also serves on the council’s Advisory Committee on Audits and Financial Accountability for the Judicial Branch.
   
• Charles Johnson, clerk/executive officer for the Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, has served the court for 22 years in various positions involving budgets, procurement, facilities, and security. He serves on the Judicial Council’s Advisory Committee on Audits and Financial Accountability for the Judicial Branch and the council’s Judicial Branch Workers’ Compensation Program Advisory Committee. Johnson also served on the council’s Proposition 66 Implementation Working Group and Branchwide Information Security Roadmap Workstream.
   
• Darrel E. Parker, court executive officer for the Superior Court of Santa Barbara County, has more than 30 years of trial court experience in strategic planning, labor negotiations, emergency management, and data analytics. He is an executive member of the Judicial Council’s Court Executives Advisory Committee, and chairs of its Jury Administration and Management Subcommittee. Parker is also a member of council’s Court Security Advisory Committee and Trial Court Facilities Modifications Advisory Committee. In addition, he is a certified instructor with the Center for Judicial Education and Research and National Center for State Courts—Institute for Court Management.  

More bio information on the new Judicial Council members

The following reappointed members of the council start their newest 3-year terms on September 15:

• Associate Justice Carol A. Corrigan, Supreme Court of California, as a voting member
   
• Judge Marla O. Anderson, Superior Court of Monterey County, as a voting member
   
• Rachel W. Hill, attorney, Law Office of Rachel Hill and Hill Mediation Services, as a voting member
   
• Gretchen Nelson, attorney, Nelson & Fraenkel, LLP, as a voting member

Departing Council Members
Individuals concluding their terms as council members as of Sept. 14 include Judge Kevin C. Brazile, Judge Harold W. Hopp, Presiding Judge Kimberly Merrifield, Judge David Rosenberg, Commissioner Glenn Mondo, Rebecca J. Fleming, and Shawn C. Landry.

Justice David M. Rubin concluded his term on the council on June 23, due to his elevation to the Court of Appeal and thereby vacating his council position dedicated for a superior court judge.

Justice Marsha G. Slough will conclude her term on the council on August 31, when she retires from the bench.

Judicial Council Membership
According to the state Constitution, the Chief Justice chairs the Judicial Council and appoints one other Supreme Court justice, three justices from the courts of appeal, 10 trial court judges, two nonvoting court administrators, “and any other nonvoting members as determined by the voting membership of the council.” The State Bar’s governing body appoints four members, and the state Senate and Assembly each appoint one member.

Council members are volunteers and do not receive additional compensation for their service. Most members serve three-year terms, and each year about a third of the membership rotates off and a new group is sworn in.