LOS ANGELES, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. on Tuesday announced the appointments of Kerry R. Bensinger, Michelle Williams Court, Holly J. Fujie, Michael Garcia, Roberto Longoria and Michael J. Raphael to judgeships in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Kerry R. Bensinger, 51, of San Marino, has been a partner at Bensinger Ritt Tai and Thvedt since 1995. He was an associate for Quinn Kully and Morrow from 1991 to 1995. Bensinger served as a deputy federal public defender for the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California from 1987 to 1991. He earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Southern California School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Dennis A. Aichroth. Bensinger is a Democrat.
Michelle Williams Court, 45, of Los Angeles, has worked for Bet Tzedek since 2002, including serving currently as vice president and general counsel. Previously, she was a senior associate for Milberg LLP from 2000 to 2002. Court served as a community builder fellow and civil rights specialist for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1999 to 2000. She was a litigation associate for Litt and Marquez from 1995 to 1999. From 1994 to 1995, Court was a project attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. She was an associate for Gilbert Kelly Crowley and Jennett from 1993 to 1994. Court earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pomona College. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Conrad R. Aragon. Court is a Democrat.
Holly J. Fujie, 56, of Los Angeles, has been an equity shareholder for Buchalter Nemer since 1991. She was an associate, then equity shareholder, for Rosen Wachtell and Gilbert from 1985 to 1991. Fujie was an associate for Rogers and Wells from 1981 to 1985, Morgan Lewis and Bockius from 1980 to 1981 and Adams Duque and Hazeltine from 1978 to 1980. Fujie served as president of the State Bar of California from 2008 to 2009. Fujie earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Jerry E. Johnson. Fujie is a Democrat.
Michael Garcia, 54, of Alhambra, has served as a court commissioner for the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2007. Previously, he was a supervising trial deputy for the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California from 1989 to 2007. Garcia was an associate attorney for the Law Offices of Capiro and Freixes in 1989. He earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Occidental College. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Marlene A. Kristovich. Garcia is a Democrat.
Roberto Longoria, 48, of Pasadena, has been a sole practitioner since 2006. Previously, he served as a senior trial attorney for the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office from 1994 to 2006. Longoria was a trial attorney for the Orange County Public Defender’s Office from 1992 to 1994. He earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. He fills the vacancy created by the appointment of Judge John A. Kronstadt to the U.S. District Court. Longoria is a Democrat.
Michael J. Raphael, 43, of Los Angeles, has served as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California since 1999. Since 2007, Raphael has been chief of the Criminal Appeals Section in the Central District. Previously, he served as investigative counsel for U.S. Representative Henry Waxman from 1997 to 1999. Raphael was associate counsel for Sidley Austin LLP from 1994 to 1997. He earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Yale Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rice University. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Charles E. Horan. Raphael is a Democrat.
The compensation for each position is $178,789.
