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Newsom Makes Second District Nominations, Appoints Five to L.A. Superior Court

By a MetNews Staff Writer

Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced three nominations for this district’s Court of Appeal—naming Justice Helen Zukin as his pick to serve as Div. Four’s presiding justice and recommending Los Angeles Superior Court Judges Mark Hanasono and Armen Tamzarian to serve as associate justices.

On Wednesday, Newsom also announced the appointment of five people to the Los Angeles Superior Court. Each of these appointees and nominees is a registered Democrat.

The Court of Appeal nominations require confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, which consists of Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert.

Presiding Justice Vacancy

Zukin has served as an associate justice for Div. Four since 2023. If approved by the commission, she will fill the vacancy created by the sudden retirement of former Presiding Justice Brian Currey in March.

The justice, who graduated from Loyola Law School, served as a Los Angeles Superior Court judge from 2018 to 2023. Before her time on the bench, she was a partner at Kiesel Law LLP and at Simke, Chodos, Silberfeld & Anteau Inc., and worked as an associate attorney with Greene, O’Reilly, Agnew & Broillet.

Hanasono, a former criminal defense attorney for both the Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender’s Office and the Public Defender’s Office, has served as a superior court judge since 2013. He earned his law degree from Georgetown University and is slated to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of former Justice Luis A. Lavin from Div. Three.

Tamzarian has also sat on the Los Angeles Superior Court since 2013. Before that time, he was a lead appellate court attorney for this district’s Div. Three, from 2008 to 2013.

A graduate of Southwestern Law School, he worked as an associate and partner at Case, Knowlson, Jordan & Wright LLP between 1997 and 2008. He is to fill the vacancy created by Zukin’s elevation, pending her confirmation.

Superior Court Appointments

As to the Los Angeles Superior Court appointments, the governor chose Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Syna Dennis, who has served in that capacity since 2023. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, she replaces Judge Harvey A. Silberman, who retired.

Dennis worked at the Los Angeles Office of the County Counsel from 1999 to 2023. Before her time as a public attorney, she worked as an associate at the Law Offices of Atkins and Evans.

Hoa Hoang, who earned her degree from the UCLA School of Law, will take the seat previously occupied by Judge Michelle W. Court, who now sits on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Hoang has served as a lead appellate court attorney for this district’s Div. Seven since 2018, and as a senior appellate court attorney before that time. She worked as an associate at Hogan Lovells US LLP from 2002 to 2010.

Lara Bazán was selected to fill the vacancy created by the elevation of Justice Michelle C. Kim to Div. One of this district’s Court of Appeal. Bazán has served as a deputy for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office since 2012 and previously worked as an associate attorney for Jones Day; she graduated from the University of Southern California School of Law.

Other Vacancies Filled

Brenda C. Robinson will fill the vacancy created by the elevation of Justice Anne K. Richardson to the Court of Appeal last year. A graduate of Golden Gate University School of Law, Robinson has worked as a senior attorney with the Children’s Law Center of California, served as a senior policy deputy for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and was formerly a partner at Robinson, Wright, and Newsom.

Succeeding Judge Douglas W. Sortino, who retired, is Maria Jhai. She has served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California since 2019 and worked for Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP from 2014 to 2019.

Jhai earned her degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

Newsom made seven other appointments to superior courts across the state, selecting one judge for each of the counties of Fresno, Orange, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, and Ventura. Five of the seven are registered Democrats, and the remaining two are unaffiliated.