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Newsom Appoints Six to L.A. Superior Court
By a MetNews Staff Writer
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Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday the appointment of six new members to the Los Angeles Superior Court.
The governor chose William Forman, a graduate of Harvard Law School, to replace Judge James A. Kaddo, who retired. Forman has been a partner at Winston & Strawn LLP since 2021 and was an equity member of Scheper Kim & Harris LLP from 2009 until 2021; he previously served as a deputy with the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Central District of California.
David Garcia, who has worked as a supervising attorney at Inner City Law Center since 2023, will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Daniel Feldstern. A graduate of UCLA School of Law, Garcia previously served as an assistant with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California and as a deputy with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Sumako McCallum, a commissioner for the court since 2024, was selected to fill the vacancy created by the appointment of Judge Anne Hwang to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Before her time on the bench, McCallum served as a deputy with the Los Angeles Office of County Counsel and as a staff attorney with the Children’s Law Center; she earned her degree from the UCLA School of Law.
Succeeding retired Judge Barbara M. Scheper is Alan Z. Yudkowsky, a graduate of New York Law School and a commissioner for the Los Angeles Superior Court since 2019. He previously worked as the principal attorney at the Law Offices of Alan Z. Yudkowsky and was a partner at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan.
Melanie Chavira, a former prosecutor with the City Attorney’s Offices for Redondo Beach and Los Angeles, will replace Judge Mary Lou Villar, who retired. Chavira received her degree from the UCLA School of Law.
A graduate of Loyola Law School, Terrence Jones, has been appointed to succeed Judge Serena R. Murillo following her appointment to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Jones has served as chief trial counsel at Cameron Jones since 2022 and previously worked as an assistant with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Newsom made 10 other appointments, selecting judges for Merced, Orange, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Joaquin, and Tulare counties.
All 16 appointees are registered Democrats.
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