Three UC Law SF Graduates Appointed to California Judgeships

Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed three talented UC Law San Francisco graduates to Bay Area judgeships. They will join a long list of more than 500 living UC Law SF alumni who have served on state and federal benches across the country.

Michal Nieto ’96 was selected to join Contra Costa County Superior Court bench. With decades of experience as a prosecutor, he has tried numerous criminal cases, including aggravated murder trials. He joined the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office as an assistant district attorney in 1997 and was promoted to assistant district attorney in 2022. He has also served as an adjunct professor at UC Law SF since 2013, teaching courses in criminal practice and trial defense. He fills the seat vacated by retired Judge Clare Maier.

Adrienne Leight Rogers ’03 was elected to serve as San Francisco County Superior Court judge. She is no stranger to the California courts, having served as a law clerk on the First District Court of Appeals since 2008, most recently as a managing attorney. Her previous roles include appellate law clerk on the Fourth District Court of Appeals, legal research assistant on the San Francisco County Superior Court, and associate at Morgenstein & Jubelirer LLP. She fills the seat vacated by retiring Judge Loretta M. Giorgi.

Sarah Burdick ’06 was appointed for a temporary term as San Mateo County Superior Court judge before her official term begins in January 2025. San Mateo County voters elected her to a six-year judicial term in March. She has served as a commissioner on the court since 2022, acting as an interim judge handling assigned cases. She previously served as an assistant county attorney in the Santa Clara County Solicitor’s Office, a senior associate at Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver, and an assistant district attorney in the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office. She fills the vacancy left by retired Judge Robert Foiles.