Deborah A. Ryan
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2010 - Present
2027
15
Deborah A. Ryan is a judge of the Superior Court of Santa Clara County in California. She assumed office in 2010. Her current term ends on January 4, 2027.
Ryan won re-election for judge of the Superior Court of Santa Clara County in California outright in the primary on June 5, 2018, after the primary and general election were canceled.
She was appointed to the position by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to succeed John F. Herlihy.[1]
Education
Ryan received her B.A. from the University of California, Davis and her J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law.[1]
Career
- 2010-present: Judge, Superior Court of Santa Clara County
- 1999-2010: Court commissioner, Superior Court of Santa Clara County
- 1995-1999: Senior assistant counsel, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
- 1989-94 and 1987-88: Deputy county counsel, Santa Clara County Counsel's Office
- 1989-1989: Project coordinator, Comprehensive Adjudication of Drug Arrestees Program
- 1978-1987: Deputy public defender, Santa Clara County Public Defender's Office[1]
Elections
2018
Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Deborah A. Ryan (Nonpartisan) won the election without appearing on the ballot.
Selection method
- See also: Nonpartisan election
The 1,535 judges of the California Superior Courts compete in nonpartisan races in even-numbered years. If a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the June primary election, he or she is declared the winner; if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff between the top two candidates is held during the November general election.[2][3][4][5]
If an incumbent judge is running unopposed in an election, his or her name does not appear on the ballot. The judge is automatically re-elected following the general election.[2]
The chief judge of any given superior court is selected by peer vote of the court's members. He or she serves in that capacity for one or two years, depending on the county.[2]
Qualifications
Candidates are required to have 10 years of experience as a law practitioner or as a judge of a court of record.[2]
2012
Ryan ran for re-election to the superior court in 2012. As an unopposed incumbent, her name did not appear on the ballot. After the primary election, Ryan was automatically re-elected.[6]
- See also: California judicial elections, 2012
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The San Francisco Appeal, "Schwarzenegger Appoints Four New Bay Area Trial Judges," October 18, 2010
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: California," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Safeguarding California's judicial election process," August 21, 2011
- ↑ California Elections Code, "Section 8203," accessed May 21, 2014
- ↑ California Elections Code, "Section 8140-8150," accessed May 21, 2014
- ↑ Santa Clara County Elections, "Unofficial Primary Election Candidate List," accessed December 12, 2014
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Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California
State courts:
California Supreme Court • California Courts of Appeal • California Superior Courts
State resources:
Courts in California • California judicial elections • Judicial selection in California