On October 23, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the appointment of 12 new Superior Court Judges in California. The appointments include one judge each in Fresno, Mendocino, Orange, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, and Tulare counties. Los Angeles County will have three new judges, and Riverside County will have two. These appointments fill vacancies from recent judicial retirements.
In Fresno County, Steven Crass was appointed to the Superior Court. Crass has served as a Commissioner at the Fresno County Superior Court since 2023. He has also worked as Of Counsel at Wanger Jones Helsley, partner at Baker Manock & Jensen, and Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of California. Crass graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law. He fills the vacancy left by Judge Francine Zepeda Fitzgerald’s retirement.
Los Angeles County received three appointments: Jill Casselman, Seza Mikikian, and Afsaneh Ashley Tabaddor. Casselman has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California since 2019 and graduated from Boston University School of Law. She replaces Judge Patricia Titus. Mikikian has served as a Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles County and fills the seat vacated by Judge Stephanie M. Bowick. Tabaddor has held roles in federal immigration law, including Chief Counsel at USCIS and Immigration Judge. She replaces Judge Kenneth R. Freeman…