Lauri Damrell

Candidate for Court of Appeal Justice, California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District, Seat 10

Gov. Gavin Newsom nominated Lauri A. Damrell on August 7, 2026. She would serve as an Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District, in Sacramento. She would fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Justice Elena J. Duarte. The Commission on Judicial Appointments confirmed her appointment, with no votes against, at its August 19, 2026 hearing. That same hearing also confirmed David Sapp, also for the Third District, Frederick Chung, for the Sixth District, and Denise Hippach, for the Second District, Division Six. Per the Governor's announcement, and news reports at the time, her confirmation is subject to a vote of the people. That vote comes at the November 3, 2026 general election. If voters approve, her term would begin on January 4, 2027, the same cycle as the district's other new pick for 2026. She earned her J.D. from the University of California, Davis, School of Law, in 2005. She practiced at a firm called Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, from 2006 to 2018. She was an associate there from 2006 to 2016, and a partner from 2016 to 2018. She worked on the firm's employment team, on issues of the workplace, of gender, and of equal pay. Gov. Jerry Brown put her on the Sacramento County Superior Court in December 2017. She has served as a judge there since 2018. She has been a visiting lecturer at UC Davis School of Law since 2019. She has also been an adjunct professor at Lincoln Law School since 2022. The November 3 ballot question is a yes or no vote to confirm a new appellate pick, not a vote on whether to keep a sitting justice. No group has been found campaigning for or against her.

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