Indian-American Attorneys Appointed as Judges in California

Indian-American attorney Jaya Badiga has been appointed as a Judge in the Sacramento County Superior Court, California. Governor Gavin Newsom made the appointment, filling the vacancy left by Judge Robert S. Lapham's retirement. Badiga, born in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, has been a Commissioner at the Sacramento County Superior Court since 2022. She has also worked as an Attorney at the California Department of Health Care Services in 2020 and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services in 2018.

Badiga holds a Juris Doctor degree from Santa Clara University School of Law and a Master of Arts degree in International Relations and International Communications from Boston University. She is a certified family law specialist with over ten years of experience in Family Law, as noted by the Sacramento County Public Law Library.

In another appointment, Raj Singh Badhesha has been named a Judge in the Fresno County Superior Court, filling the vacancy left by Judge Jon N. Kapetan's retirement. Badhesha has served as Chief Assistant City Attorney in the Fresno City Attorney’s Office since 2022 and has held various roles there since 2012. He is the first Sikh to be appointed to the Fresno County bench and the first Sikh judge in California to wear the dastar or pagri, according to FOX26NEWS.

Badhesha’s appointment has been celebrated by the Central Valley Punjabi and Asian communities. In his statement, Badhesha expressed gratitude to Governor Newsom for his confidence. He highlighted his years of dedicated service to the Fresno community, including his work in the Fresno City Attorney’s Office and extensive volunteer efforts. Badhesha emphasized his commitment to justice, fairness, and compassion, and the importance of representing a diverse segment of the community. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of California College of Law in San Francisco.