Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. today announced the appointment of Maria Stratton, the former Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California, as an associate justice to the California Court of Appeal.

Maria E. Stratton, 65, of Los Angeles, has been appointed associate justice, Division Eight of the Second District Court of Appeal. Stratton has served as a judge at the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2006. She served as Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California from 1993 to 2006 and held several positions at Talcott, Lightfoot, Vandevelde, Woehrle and Sadowsky from 1985 to 1993, including managing partner, partner and associate. She was an associate at Overland, Berke, Wesley, Gits, Randolph and Levanas from 1984 to 1985. Stratton served as a deputy federal public defender at the Office of the Federal Public Defender, Central District of California from 1981 to 1984 and as a law clerk for the Honorable Harry Pregerson at the U.S. District Court, Central District of California and at the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit from 1979 to 1981. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Madeleine I. Flier. This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. The Commission consists of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Senior Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert. Stratton is a Democrat.

Read the full article here.

Justice Stratton joins an impressive list of former FPD-CDCA alumni who have become judges, including: