Sonny S. SandhuIncumbent

Candidate for Court of Appeal Justice, California Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District, Seat 6

Sonny S. Sandhu is an Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Fifth District. That court sits in Fresno. It hears appeals from superior courts across the San Joaquin Valley. Sandhu was born and raised in Modesto. He earned dual bachelor's degrees, in psychology and in Asian American studies, from UC Santa Barbara. He earned a J.D. from Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law. Before he became a judge, he worked at the Stanislaus County Public Defender's Office. He was a deputy public defender there from 2003 to 2015. He was chief deputy public defender from 2015 to 2017. He was the county's Public Defender from 2017 to 2018. In 2018, Gov. Jerry Brown appointed him to the Stanislaus County Superior Court. He served on that court until 2026. He became the court's presiding judge in January 2025. On June 2, 2026, Gov. Gavin Newsom nominated him to the Fifth District Court of Appeal. The seat had opened when Justice Rosendo Peña Jr. retired. The Commission on Judicial Appointments confirmed him on August 6, 2026. Court announcements said he is the first judge from Stanislaus County named to the Court of Appeal since 1961. They also said he is the first Asian American Pacific Islander justice on the Fifth District. He joined the Court of Appeal after the last governor's race. So he is on the November 3, 2026 ballot. It is a nonpartisan yes-or-no retention vote. There is no opposing candidate. As of August 2026, no group had formed to back or oppose his retention.

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