Monday, April 20, 2026
Page 1
Newsom Appoints Two to L.A. Superior Court
Governor Also Announces Nominations to Fourth District Court of Appeal in ‘Updated’ Press Release Following Earlier One Listing Wrong Name
By a MetNews Staff Writer
|
|
|
|
ERIN DIXON |
GARY TOKUMORI |
|
LASC appointees |
|
Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Los Angeles County Deputy Alternate Public Defender Erin Dixon and private practitioner Gary Tokumori to vacancies on the Los Angeles Superior Court
Newsom’s office announced the appointments in a press release issued late Thursday afternoon. It named, in the opening paragraph, a San Diego Superior Court judge as the nominee for seat on Div. One of the Fourth District Court of Appeal while the body of the announcement indicated a different choice for that position.
About an hour later, an “updated judicial appointments” notice followed, changing the opening paragraph to match the remainder of the press release.
Erin has been at her present post since 2008. She was an Orange County deputy public defender from 2006-08 and briefly worked as a contract lawyer at the San Francisco firm Emison, Hullverson, Bonagofsky before joining the criminal defense bar.
A graduate of the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, Dixon will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Christopher G. Estes.
Succeeding retired Judge Mark E. Windham is Gary Tokumori, a shareholder at the downtown Los Angeles firm of Parker Milliken Clark O’Hara & Samuelian APC since 2018 and a senior counsel there from 2009-17. He also worked at Moldo Davidson Fraioli Seror & Sestanocich LLP from 2006-09, Ivanjack, Shuck & Milstead LLP, between 1991 and 2006, and served a one-year stint at Robie & Matthai APC in 1990-91.
Tokumori earned his law degree from Loyola.
Updated Announcement
The updated announcement related that Newsom tapped Imperial Superior Court Judge Eran Marie Bermudez to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Richard D. Huffman on the Fourth District’s Div. One and Orange Superior Court Judge Deborah C. Servino as the replacement for retired Justice Thomas M. Goethals on that court’s Div. Three. Bermudez is a Democrat, and Servino is registered without party preference.
The earlier announcement named San Diego Superior Court Judge Marsha Amin as the nominee for the seat on Div. One in the opening paragraph but listed Bermudez as the selectee later in the release.
Bermudez and Servino will be elevated to the Court of Appeal upon confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments.
Newsom also made five appointments to superior courts in the counties of Orange, San Joaquin, San Diego, and Santa Clara.
Four of the superior court appointees are Democrats, including Dixon and Tokumori. Three of those selected are registered without party preference.
Copyright 2026, Metropolitan News Company