Joanne MotoikeIncumbent

Candidate for Court of Appeal Justice, California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division 3, Seat 1

Joanne Motoike is the Presiding Justice of the California Court of Appeal. She leads the Fourth Appellate District, Division Three, in Santa Ana. That court serves Orange County. She earned a B.A. from UC Irvine. She earned a J.D. from Loyola Law School. Motoike spent most of her early career as a public defender. She was a Deputy Public Defender in Orange County. That was from 1994 to 2006. She was a Senior Deputy Public Defender there. That was from 2008 to 2013. Between those two stints, she was a trial attorney. She worked at a United Nations international criminal tribunal, from 2006 to 2008. Governor Jerry Brown appointed her to the Orange County Superior Court. That was on August 29, 2013. She was assigned to the juvenile court. She served as Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court. That ran from 2018 to 2022. Governor Gavin Newsom nominated her as an Associate Justice of Division Three. That was on May 2, 2022. The Commission on Judicial Appointments confirmed her unanimously. That was on June 16, 2022. Voters retained her that November, with 61.5% voting yes. On February 19, 2026, Newsom nominated her to be Division Three's Presiding Justice. She was confirmed and took the oath on May 22, 2026. In 2021 she received judicial-excellence awards from three groups. They were the Orange County Asian American Bar Association, the North Orange County Bar Association, and the Orange County Department of Education. She is a newly elevated Presiding Justice. Motoike appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot. It is a nonpartisan yes/no retention vote. No opponent runs. A majority 'yes' vote retains her.

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