News Release

Commission Confirms Appointment to Court of Appeal

Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye, chair of the Commission on Judicial Appointments, announced the commission today confirmed Judge Joanne Motoike to the Santa Ana-based appellate court.
Jun 16, 2022

Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye, chair of the Commission on Judicial Appointments, announced the commission today confirmed the appointment of Judge Joanne Motoike as associate justice of the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Three (Santa Ana).

The appointment was confirmed by unanimous vote of the three-member commission, which includes Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye (Chair); Attorney General Rob Bonta; and Presiding Justice Manuel A. Ramirez.

Appointee Biography

Judge Joanne Motoike fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Richard M. Aronson. Judge Motoike has served as an Orange County Superior Court judge since 2013, where she served as presiding judge of the juvenile court from 2018 to 2022. Judge Motoike served as a senior deputy public defender at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office from 2008 to 2013. She was a trial attorney at the United Nations Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia from 2006 to 2008 and a deputy public defender at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office from 1994 to 2006. Judge Motoike earned a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. 

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