Judges 2026 › California › Judges on the ballot
Judges on the California ballot in November 2026
California voters see 64 retention questions, 4 county-level judicial races in the counties we track on the November 3, 2026 ballot in the races The Ballot Brief tracks. Retention questions are a yes-or-no vote on keeping a sitting judge; elected seats work like any other race.
Judicial retention votes: yes or no on keeping a judge
California Supreme Court
Kelli M. Evans
Retention: yes or no
Justice Evans assumed office January 2, 2023; before joining the Supreme Court she was a judge on the Alameda County Superior Court, and earlier served as Chief Deputy Legal Affairs Secretary in the Office of Governor Newsom, Special Assistant to the Attorney General at the California Department of Justice, Senior Director for Administration of Justice at the California State Bar, Associate Director of the ACLU of Northern California, a senior trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and an assistant public defender in Sacramento County; she holds a J.D. from UC Davis and an undergraduate degree from Stanford, per the court's official biography.
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Joshua Groban
Retention: yes or no
Justice Groban was appointed to the Supreme Court by Governor Jerry Brown on November 14, 2018, and was sworn in on January 3, 2019; he had served as a senior advisor to Governor Brown since 2011, a role in which he oversaw the appointment of roughly 600 judges statewide, per the governor's official appointment announcement.
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
California Court of Appeal
Charles A. Smiley
Retention: yes or noFirst Appellate District, Division 1
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Kathleen M. Banke
Retention: yes or noFirst Appellate District, Division 1
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Monique Langhorne Wilson
Retention: yes or noFirst Appellate District, Division 1
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Therese M. Stewart
Retention: yes or noFirst Appellate District, Division 2
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Tara M. Desautels
Retention: yes or noFirst Appellate District, Division 2
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Ioana Petrou
Retention: yes or noFirst Appellate District, Division 3
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Victor A. Rodriguez
Retention: yes or noFirst Appellate District, Division 3
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Tracie L. Brown
Retention: yes or noFirst Appellate District, Division 4
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Mark Simons
Retention: yes or noFirst Appellate District, Division 5
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Danny Y. Chou
Retention: yes or noFirst Appellate District, Division 5
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Gordon Burns
Retention: yes or noFirst Appellate District, Division 5
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Michelle C. Kim
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 1
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Gregory J. Weingart
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 1
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Steve Goorvitch
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 2
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Anne Richardson
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 2
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Rashida A. Adams
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 3
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Mark Hanasono
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 3
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Helen Zukin
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 4
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Audra M. Mori
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 4
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Nicholas Daum
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 4
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Armen Tamzarian
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 4
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Brian M. Hoffstadt
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 5
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Tari L. Cody
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 6
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Kenneth R. Yegan
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 6
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Gonzalo C. Martinez
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 7
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Natalie Stone
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 7
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
John Wiley
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 8
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Matthew A. Scherb
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 8
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Victor G. Viramontes
Retention: yes or noSecond Appellate District, Division 8
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Laurie Earl
Retention: yes or noThird Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Shama Mesiwala
Retention: yes or noThird Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
David B. Sapp
Retention: yes or noThird Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Lauri Damrell
Retention: yes or noThird Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Stacy Boulware Eurie
Retention: yes or noThird Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Aimee A. Feinberg
Retention: yes or noThird Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Jonathan Renner
Retention: yes or noThird Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Eran M. Bermudez
Retention: yes or noFourth Appellate District, Division 1
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Jose S. Castillo
Retention: yes or noFourth Appellate District, Division 1
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Truc T. Do
Retention: yes or noFourth Appellate District, Division 1
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Lisa Rodriguez
Retention: yes or noFourth Appellate District, Division 1
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
David M. Rubin
Retention: yes or noFourth Appellate District, Division 1
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
William S. Dato
Retention: yes or noFourth Appellate District, Division 1
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Julia C. Kelety
Retention: yes or noFourth Appellate District, Division 1
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Corey G. Lee
Retention: yes or noFourth Appellate District, Division 2
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Michael J. Raphael
Retention: yes or noFourth Appellate District, Division 2
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Joanne Motoike
Retention: yes or noFourth Appellate District, Division 3
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Nathan R. Scott
Retention: yes or noFourth Appellate District, Division 3
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Juliet O. Macaulay
Retention: yes or noFourth Appellate District, Division 3
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Martha K. Gooding
Retention: yes or noFourth Appellate District, Division 3
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Thomas A. Delaney
Retention: yes or noFourth Appellate District, Division 3
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Deborah C. Servino
Retention: yes or noFourth Appellate District, Division 3
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Arlan L. Harrell
Retention: yes or noFifth Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Sonny S. Sandhu
Retention: yes or noFifth Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Amy K. Guerra
Retention: yes or noFifth Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Kathleen A. Meehan
Retention: yes or noFifth Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Mark W. Snauffer
Retention: yes or noFifth Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Thomas DeSantos
Retention: yes or noFifth Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Daniel H. Bromberg
Retention: yes or noSixth Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Charles E. Wilson II
Retention: yes or noSixth Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Charles F. Adams
Retention: yes or noSixth Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Frederick S. Chung
Retention: yes or noSixth Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
Allison Marston Danner
Retention: yes or noSixth Appellate District
What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.
How retention votes work
California Supreme Court and Court of Appeal justices are appointed by the governor (subject to confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments) and then face a statewide (Supreme Court) or district-wide (Court of Appeal) yes/no retention election at the next general election after appointment, and again every 12 years if reappointed; a majority yes vote retains the justice.
Source: elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov, as of 2026-09-04.
County and trial-court judicial races we track
Trial judges, county courts and other judicial offices from the county pages we have built (1 counties so far). Each link opens that race's page.
- LA County Superior Court Judge, Office No. 131 Los Angeles County · 2 candidates
- LA County Superior Court Judge, Office No. 64 Los Angeles County · 2 candidates
- LA County Superior Court Judge, Office No. 65 Los Angeles County · 2 candidates
- LA County Superior Court Judge, Office No. 87 Los Angeles County · 2 candidates
Everything else on your California ballot · Your exact ballot by ZIP code