Court News
Our weekly roundup of local court news. This post will be updated as new information comes across our desks.
Alameda County Superior Court
ACBA member Sarah Sandford-Smith, of Alameda County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Alameda County Superior Court. Sandford-Smith has served as an Administrative Law Judge in the Office of Administrative Hearings since January 2022. She was a Partner at Beeson, Tayer & Bodine APC from 2015 to 2021. She was Legal Director for Teamsters Local 856 from 2014 to 2015. Sandford-Smith was an Associate and then Partner at Beeson, Tayer & Bodine APC from 2005 to 2014. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. She fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Justice Kelli Evans to the California Supreme Court. Sandford-Smith is a Democrat.
Contra Costa County
The Court is very pleased to announce the appointment of J. Yamamoto as Commissioner. Commissioner Yamamoto will assume her role on August 7, 2023. She will preside in Department 57, handling unlawful detainers, domestic violence and civil harassment restraining orders, small claims, and civil discovery/sanctions motions at the Martinez courthouse. Learn more
For more of our coverage on local court news, check out the ACBA Blog.