Commission Confirms Appointments to Appellate Court in Los Angeles

Public documents are available here.

Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero, chair of the Commission on Judicial Appointments, announced that the commission today confirmed three appointments to California's Courts of Appeal in Los Angeles:

• Justice Brian M. Hoffstadt as presiding justice of the Second District Court of Appeal, Division Five 

• Judge Michelle C. Kim as associate justice of the Second District Court of Appeal, Division One 

• Judge Anne K. Richardson as associate justice of the Second District Court of Appeal, Division Two 

The appointees were confirmed by a unanimous vote of the three-member commission, which includes: Chief Justice Guerrero (Chair); Attorney General Rob Bonta; and Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert.

Appointee Biographies

Justice Brian M. Hoffstadt fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Presiding Justice Laurence D. Rubin. He has served as an associate justice at the Second District Court of Appeal, Division Two since 2014. Justice Hoffstadt served as a judge at the Los Angeles County Superior Court from 2010 to 2014. He was a partner at Jones Day from 2007 to 2010 and served as an assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California from 2000 to 2007. Justice Hoffstadt served as senior counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Policy Development from 1998 to 2000, and at the Federal Communications Commission, Office of General Counsel from 1997 to 1998. He served as a law clerk for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor at the U.S. Supreme Court from 1996 to 1997 and for the Judge Cynthia H. Hall at the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit from 1995 to 1996. Justice Hoffstadt earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. 

Judge Michelle C. Kim fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Victoria D. Chaney. She has served as a judge at the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2018. Judge Kim served as a deputy alternate public defender at the Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender’s Office from 2005 to 2018 and as a deputy public defender in the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office from 2003 to 2005. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. 

Judge Anne C. Richardson fills the vacancy that will be created by Justice Brian M. Hoffstadt’s appointment as Presiding Justice of the Second District Court of Appeal, Division Five. She has served as a judge at the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2018. Judge Richardson was a directing attorney at Public Counsel from 2014 to 2018. She was a partner at Hadsell, Stormer, Richardson and Renick LLP from 1998 to 2014 and was an associate there from 1993 to 1998. Judge Richardson was a public interest fellow at Litt and Stormer from 1990 to 1992 and served as a law clerk for the Honorable Mariana R. Pfaelzer at the U.S. District Court, Central District of California from 1989 to 1990. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School.