New Sacramento Superior Court judge was attorney for employee retirement system
Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Stephen Lau, an attorney for the Sacramento County Employees’ Retirement System, to serve as judge in Sacramento Superior Court.
Lau, 47, of Placer County was among nine new California superior court judges appointed by Newsom. He is filling a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Russell L. Hom.
Lau, who earned a juris doctor degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law, has worked as general counsel at the Sacramento County Employees’ Retirement System since 2019. He worked as assistant general counsel at the California Department of Business Oversight from 2014 to 2019.
“The Court welcomes the appointment of Stephen Lau and looks forward to him joining the Sacramento County bench,” Sacramento Superior Court Presiding Judge Michael G. Bowman said in a news release.
Lau also worked as a partner, at Mennemeier Glassman and Stroud LLP from 2003 to 2014. He worked as a law clerk for Judge William B. Shubb at the U.S. District Court Eastern District of California from 2002 to 2003.
Superior court judges serve six-year terms and are elected by county voters on a nonpartisan ballot at a general election, according to the news release from Sacramento Superior Court. Vacancies are filled through appointment by the governor.
A superior court judge must have been an attorney admitted to practice law in California or have served as a judge of a court of record in this state for at least 10 years immediately preceding an election or appointment.
Newsom appointed two new judges for Sacramento County last month. Philip Ferrari of Sacramento and Satnam Rattu of Folsom, were added to the Superior Court bench in early October.
This week’s judicial appointments from the Governor’s Office also included two new Superior Court judges in Alameda County; one in Los Angeles County; two in Orange County; one in San Joaquin County; one in Solano County; and one in Sonoma County.
Newsom’s Office on Monday also announced the nomination of Daniel Bromberg to serve as an associate justice of the Sixth District Court of Appeal.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 1:27 PM.
