Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. this week announced the appointment of 12 California superior court judges, which include: Two in Alameda County; one in Contra Costa County; one in Fresno County; five in Los Angeles County; one in San Francisco County; one in Santa Clara County; and one in Solano County.

Alameda County Superior Court

Clifford T. Blakely Jr., 48, of Moraga, has been appointed to a judgeship in the Alameda County Superior Court. Blakely has served as a deputy public defender at the Alameda County Public Defender’s Office since 2014. He was a sole practitioner from 2007 to 2014 and a deputy public defender at the Alameda County Public Defender’s Office from 1996 to 2007. Blakely earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Southern California School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Gloria F. Rhynes. Blakely is a Democrat.

Karin S. Schwartz, 54, of Sacramento, has been appointed to a judgeship in the Alameda County Superior Court. Schwartz has served as deputy director and chief counsel at the California Department of Public Health since 2013. She served in several positions at the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General from 2003 to 2013, including as supervising deputy attorney general and acting senior assistant attorney general. Schwartz was a Supreme Court fellow at the National Association of Attorneys General in 2007. She was an associate at Munger, Tolles and Olson LLP from 2000 to 2003 and at Debevoise and Plimpton LLP from 1995 to 2000. Schwartz served as a law clerk for the Honorable Jack B. Weinstein at the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York in 1994. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bryn Mawr College. She fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Ioana Petrou to the Court of Appeal. Schwartz is a Democrat.

Contra Costa County Superior Court

John P. Devine, 53, of Walnut Creek, has been appointed to a judgeship in the Contra Costa County Superior Court. Devine has been supervising deputy attorney general at the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General since 2011, where he has served as a deputy attorney general since 2001. He was an associate at Watson and Lanctot LLP from 1997 to 2001 and served as a deputy district attorney at the Marin County District Attorney’s Office in 1996. Devine earned a Master of Arts degree from Stanford University, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oregon School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis. Effective January 4, 2019, he will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Judith S. Craddick. Devine is registered without party preference.

Fresno County Superior Court

Heather Mardel Jones, 41, of Fresno, has been appointed to a judgeship in the Fresno County Superior Court. Jones has served as a commissioner at the Fresno County Superior Court since 2014. She served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California from 2011 to 2014 and was an associate at Dowling, Aaron and Keeler Inc. from 2008 to 2011. Jones served as an assistant district attorney at the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office from 2005 to 2008 and as a staff attorney at the Supreme Court of California from 2004 to 2005. She served as a research attorney at the Santa Clara County Superior Court from 2003 to 2004 and as a deputy legal affairs secretary in the Office of the Governor from 2002 to 2003. Jones earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Santa Clara University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University, Fresno. Effective January 4, 2019, she will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge James M. Petrucelli. Jones is a Democrat.

Los Angeles County Superior Court

Maria Cavalluzzi, 55, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to a judgeship in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Cavalluzzi has been managing attorney and a trial lawyer at the Law Offices of Cavalluzzi and Cavalluzzi since 2001. She was a sole practitioner from 1999 to 2001 and served as a deputy public defender at the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office from 1988 to 1999. She served as a deputy district attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office from 1987 to 1988. Cavalluzzi earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Southwestern University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola Marymount University. She fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge John S. Wiley Jr. to the Court of Appeal. Cavalluzzi is registered without party preference.

Jennifer H. Cops, 41, of Long Beach, has been appointed to a judgeship in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Cops has served as a deputy district attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office since 2007. She was an associate at Lawrence, Beach, Allen and Choi from 2005 to 2007. Cops earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. She fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Brian S. Currey to the Court of Appeal. Cops is a Democrat.

Gail Killefer, 65, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to a judgeship in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Killefer has served as director of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program at the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, since 2010. She was a sole practitioner and adjunct professor at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law from 2001 to 2010. Killefer was an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California, from 1989 to 2001, where she served as chief and deputy chief of the Civil Division. She served as a trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, Torts Branch, Civil Division from 1982 to 1989 and as a law clerk for the Honorable Barrington D. Parker at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia from 1981 to 1982. Killefer was an associate at Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard and McPherson in 1981. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from Vermont Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University. She fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Frank J. Menetrez to the Court of Appeal. Killefer is a Democrat.

Pamela M. Villanueva, 50, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to a judgeship in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Villanueva has served as a deputy public defender at the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office since 1995 and was a deputy public defender at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office in 1995. Villanueva earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Santa Clara University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She fills the vacancy created by the conversion of a court commissioner position on December 19, 2018. Villanueva is a Democrat.

David Yaroslavsky, 36, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to a judgeship in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Yaroslavsky has served as a deputy district attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office since 2012. He was an associate at Latham & Watkins LLP from 2007 to 2012. Yaroslavsky earned a Juris Doctor degree from the New York University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He fills the vacancy created by the conversion of a court commissioner position on December 19, 2018. Yaroslavsky is a Democrat.

San Francisco County Superior Court

Vedica Puri, 47, of San Francisco, has been appointed to a judgeship in the San Francisco County Superior Court. Puri has been a partner at Pillsbury & Coleman LLP since 2005, where she was a senior associate from 2002 to 2005. Puri was a trial lawyer at Drinker, Biddle & Reath from 2001 to 2002, at Sedgwick LLP from 2000 to 2001 and at Alborg, Veiluva & Cannata from 1996 to 1999. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Santa Clara University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Xavier’s College. Puri is the first Indian-American judge ever appointed to the San Francisco County Superior Court. She fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Tracie L. Brown to the Court of Appeal. She is a Democrat.

Santa Clara County Superior Court

Nicole L. Isger, 48, of Mountain View, has been appointed to a judgeship in the Santa Clara County Superior Court. Isger has been a sole practitioner since 2015. She was a partner at Geffon and Isger from 2004 to 2014. She served as a deputy public defender at the Santa Clara County Public Defender’s Office from 2000 to 2004 and at the Contra Costa County Public Defender’s Office from 1999 to 2000. Isger earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida State University. She fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Allison M. Danner to the Court of Appeal. Isger is a Democrat.

Solano County Superior Court

Terrye D. Davis, 63, of Vallejo, has been appointed to a judgeship in the Solano County Superior Court. Davis has served as a commissioner at the Contra Costa County Superior Court since 2016. She was an associate at the Law Office of Osby Davis from 2014 to 2016 and from 2000 to 2009. Davis served as a judge pro tem at the Solano County Superior Court from 2009 to 2014. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fort Valley State University. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Peter B. Foor. Davis is a Democrat.

The compensation for each of these positions is $207,424.