Judges on your ballot — Fourth District
November 3, 2026 General Election — the only judges and justices you vote on if you live in Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial or Inyo County
Is this your page? You vote in the Fourth Appellate District if you live in Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial or Inyo County. This page shows only the judges on your ballot — the 2 statewide California Supreme Court justices plus the 15 Court of Appeal justices in your district. Not sure which district you’re in?
How retention works: California appellate justices are appointed by the governor but must face the voters to keep their seats. They run unopposed in “retention” elections — there is no opponent, just a Yes (keep) or No (remove) question, and a justice removed this way is replaced by gubernatorial appointment. These are nonpartisan races.
California Supreme Court
2 questions • every voter in California votes on these
Joshua Groban Retention
Associate Justice • California Supreme Court
A former senior policy adviser to Gov. Brown and, before that, a private-practice antitrust and intellectual-property litigator. Served as a judge pro tem on the Court of Appeal before joining the state's highest court. UC Berkeley School of Law (J.D.).
Appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown (2018) to succeed a retired justice; every California voter gets this Yes/No question.
Ballot question: “Shall Associate Justice Joshua Groban be elected to the office for the term provided by law?”
Kelli M. Evans Retention
Associate Justice • California Supreme Court
A former Alameda County Superior Court judge who previously served as Gov. Newsom's chief deputy on legal affairs. Earlier in her career she worked as a civil-rights attorney and public defender and served as a senior director at the California State Bar.
Appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (2022); every California voter gets this Yes/No question.
Ballot question: “Shall Associate Justice Kelli M. Evans be elected to the office for the term provided by law?”
Court of Appeal — Fourth District
15 questions • voters in Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial or Inyo CountyFourth District, Division 1
7 questions
Julia C. Kelety Retention
Associate Justice • 4th District, Division 1
San Diego trial judge for nearly two decades (probate and juvenile dependency), including three years as Presiding Judge of the Superior Court's Appellate Division. Cornell Law School (J.D.).
Appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (2023); prior San Diego County Superior Court for 19+ years.
Ballot question: “Shall Associate Justice Julia C. Kelety be elected to the office for the term provided by law?”
Jose S. Castillo Retention
Associate Justice • 4th District, Division 1
Former assistant U.S. attorney in San Diego who prosecuted cartels, gangs, and narcotics and immigration offenses for a decade before joining the San Diego trial bench in 2020.
Appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (2023); prior San Diego County Superior Court (2020).
Ballot question: “Shall Associate Justice Jose S. Castillo be elected to the office for the term provided by law?”
Truc T. Do Retention
Associate Justice • 4th District, Division 1
San Diego Superior Court judge (criminal and family law) before her 2021 elevation. Former trustee of the San Diego Law Library and a director with the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program and California Women's Law Center.
Appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (2021); prior San Diego County Superior Court.
Ballot question: “Shall Associate Justice Truc T. Do be elected to the office for the term provided by law?”
William S. Dato Retention
Associate Justice • 4th District, Division 1
Certified appellate specialist, former research attorney at the California Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, and San Diego trial judge for 13 years. UCLA School of Law (J.D.); a native San Diegan.
Appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown (2017); prior San Diego County Superior Court (2003).
Ballot question: “Shall Associate Justice William S. Dato be elected to the office for the term provided by law?”
Eran M. Bermudez Retention
Associate Justice • 4th District, Division 1
Imperial County trial judge who was unanimously elected Presiding Judge — the first Latina to hold that position in the county. In 2025 the state Supreme Court appointed her a Special Master in a Commission on Judicial Performance proceeding.
Appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (2026); prior Imperial County Superior Court, where she was its first Latina Presiding Judge.
Ballot question: “Shall Associate Justice Eran M. Bermudez be elected to the office for the term provided by law?”
Lisa Rodriguez Retention
Associate Justice • 4th District, Division 1
San Diego County deputy district attorney for 17 years — helping build the county's collaborative courts — before becoming a trial judge in 2015. An adjunct professor at USD School of Law, her law school alma mater. Because her new seat begins Jan. 4, 2027, this ballot question is what elects her to it.
Appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (2026), confirmed Aug. 20, 2026; prior San Diego County Superior Court, appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown (2015).
Ballot question: “Shall San Diego County Superior Court Judge Lisa Rodriguez be elected to the office for the term provided by law?”
David M. Rubin Retention
Associate Justice • 4th District, Division 1
Former San Diego deputy district attorney (2006 Prosecutor of the Year) and 17 years on the trial bench. UC Berkeley (B.A.) and University of San Francisco School of Law (J.D.); past president of the California Judges Association.
Appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (2023); prior San Diego County Superior Court (2007).
Ballot question: “Shall Associate Justice David M. Rubin be elected to the office for the term provided by law?”
Fourth District, Division 2
2 questions
Corey G. Lee Retention
Associate Justice • 4th District, Division 2
Former assistant U.S. attorney and deputy chief of the Riverside Branch who prosecuted gang racketeering and drug conspiracies in the Inland Empire, then a San Bernardino County trial judge for 10 years. Chairs the governor's Inland Empire judicial selection advisory committee.
Appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (2025); prior San Bernardino County Superior Court, appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown (2015).
Ballot question: “Shall Associate Justice Corey G. Lee be elected to the office for the term provided by law?”
Michael J. Raphael Retention
Associate Justice • 4th District, Division 2
Longtime assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles — chief of the Criminal Appeals Section — who prosecuted 60+ federal cases, including the Barry Bonds steroids-leak investigation. Yale Law School (J.D.); also sat pro tem on the Second District.
Appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown (2018); prior Los Angeles County Superior Court, appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown (2012).
Ballot question: “Shall Associate Justice Michael J. Raphael be elected to the office for the term provided by law?”
Fourth District, Division 3
6 questions
Joanne Motoike Retention
Presiding Justice • 4th District, Division 3
Former senior deputy public defender in Orange County who also prosecuted war crimes at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Presiding Judge of the OC Juvenile Court 2018–22. Loyola Law School (J.D.).
Appointed Presiding Justice by Gov. Gavin Newsom (2026), after first being appointed an Associate Justice by Gov. Newsom (2022); prior Orange County Superior Court, appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown (2013).
Ballot question: “Shall Presiding Justice Joanne Motoike be elected to the office for the term provided by law?”
Thomas A. Delaney Retention
Associate Justice • 4th District, Division 3
Mass-tort and product-liability trial lawyer at Sedgwick before joining the OC bench in 2014; supervising judge of the Collaborative Courts, including Veterans Courts. 89th president of the California Judges Association (2020–21).
Appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (2022); prior Orange County Superior Court (2014).
Ballot question: “Shall Associate Justice Thomas A. Delaney be elected to the office for the term provided by law?”
Nathan R. Scott Retention
Associate Justice • 4th District, Division 3
12 years on the OC trial bench (civil and family panels) and Presiding Judge of its Appellate Division; earlier a Court of Appeal research attorney. Harvard Law School (J.D.).
Appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (2025); prior Orange County Superior Court, appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown (2013).
Ballot question: “Shall Associate Justice Nathan R. Scott be elected to the office for the term provided by law?”
Deborah C. Servino Retention
Associate Justice • 4th District, Division 3
Deputy attorney general who was lead counsel in more than 150 appeals before joining the OC bench in 2009 — the court's second Asian Pacific American woman judge. Conducted 180+ civil trials over a decade on the Unlimited Civil Panel.
Appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (2026); prior Orange County Superior Court, appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (2009).
Ballot question: “Shall Associate Justice Deborah C. Servino be elected to the office for the term provided by law?”
Martha K. Gooding Retention
Associate Justice • 4th District, Division 3
Thirty years in private practice, including leadership in the ABA Section of Litigation and several Orange County bar organizations, before joining the OC bench in 2013.
Appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (2023); prior Orange County Superior Court, appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown (2013).
Ballot question: “Shall Associate Justice Martha K. Gooding be elected to the office for the term provided by law?”
Juliet O. Macaulay Retention
Associate Justice • 4th District, Division 3
Two decades in administrative judging — chief administrative law judge at the California Department of Social Services and a Parole Board commissioner appointed by Gov. Brown (2011) — before her 2022 OC trial-bench appointment and 2026 elevation.
Appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (2026); prior Orange County Superior Court (2022).
Ballot question: “Shall Associate Justice Juliet O. Macaulay be elected to the office for the term provided by law?”
Bottom line: A “Yes” vote retains the justice for another term; a “No” vote removes them. Most justices are retained by wide margins, but this is the only vote voters get on the appellate bench.
Sources
- Official Secretary of State — List of Judicial Candidates (certified Aug. 24, 2026); ballot questions shown verbatim
- appellate.courts.ca.gov — official justice biographies and appointing governors
- CalMatters 2026 voter guide — California Supreme Court retentions (Groban, Evans)
- LAist 2026 voter guide — which appellate district appears on each county’s ballot