SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom on May 2 announced his nomination of Judge Joanne Motoike to serve as an associate justice of the 4th District Court of Appeal, Division 3.
The governor also announced his appointment of six Superior Court judges — two in Los Angeles County, one in Orange County, one in San Bernardino County, and two in San Diego County.
Since 2013, Motoike, 54, of Irvine has served as a judge at the Orange County Superior Court, where she has served as presiding judge of the Juvenile Court from 2018 to 2022. She served as a senior deputy public defender at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office from 2008 to 2013, as a trial attorney at the United Nations Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia from 2006 to 2008, and as a deputy public defender at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office from 1994 to 2006.
Motoike earned a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Richard M. Aronson. This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, which consists of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Senior Presiding Justice Manuel A. Ramirez. Motoike is a Democrat.
The compensation for this position is $257,562.