Judge Richard E. L. Strauss will retire from the San Diego Superior Court today after serving 26 years on the bench having presided over civil, probate, and criminal law cases.

In observance of the Columbus Day statewide court holiday, the San Diego Superior Court will close all courtrooms and business offices on Monday, October 11, 2021.

The public is urged to visit the Court’s website at sdcourt.ca.gov to handle traffic tickets or obtain court information. 

Due to staffing shortages, the San Diego Superior Court will no longer provide official court reporters in most family law matters, effective November 30, 2021. 

In observance of the Labor Day statewide holiday, the San Diego Superior Court will close all courtrooms and business offices on Monday, September 6, 2021.

The public is urged to visit the Court’s website at sdcourt.ca.gov to handle traffic tickets or obtain court information. 

Due to the increase in COVID-19 transmission across the county, the San Diego Superior Court is reinstating a facial covering requirement for all court visitors and employees, regardless of vaccination status.

The Honorable Sharon B. Majors-Lewis will retire from the San Diego Superior Court today after several decades of public service.

The Honorable Margo Lewis Hoy will retire from the San Diego Superior Court today after 11 years on the bench. Judge Hoy was initially appointed to the San Diego Superior Court on July 26, 2010, by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. She handled civil and criminal matters in addition to family law assignments that concluded with finishing her judicial career as the Supervising Judge of the Family Law Division, overseeing 28 family law courtrooms and complex family law trials.

Jim Mendelson has been selected as the foreperson of the San Diego County Grand Jury, which started its year of service on July 1, 2021.

With his new role on the Grand Jury, Mendelson builds upon a lifetime of service that includes careers as a U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot, as an Orange County Deputy District Attorney, and, most recently, a just-completed tour as President of the Rotary Club of Fallbrook.

Judge Amalia L. Meza will conclude more than 20 years on the San Diego Superior Court bench today.

“It has been a supreme honor for me to serve the people of San Diego County as a Superior Court Judge,” said Judge Meza. 

The San Diego Superior Court has launched a local Judicial Mentor Program to support Governor Gavin Newsom’s recently announced California Judicial Mentor Program – “a statewide undertaking between the executive and judicial branches to advance the shared goal of an inclusive judiciary that reflects California’s diversity.”

In observance of the Independence Day statewide holiday, the San Diego Superior Court will close all courtrooms and business offices on Monday, July 5, 2021.

The public is urged to visit the Court’s website at sdcourt.ca.gov to handle traffic tickets or obtain court information. 

Judge Timothy M. Casserly will officially retire from the San Diego Superior Court today after serving on the bench for 25 years, where he held positions in Criminal and Civil Law.



“It has truly been an honor and a privilege to serve the San Diego County public as a judge,” said Judge Casserly. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have been given this position of responsibility.”

The San Diego Superior Court is restoring additional in-person access in the wake of updated state and local public health guidance that allows for the relaxing of certain COVID-19 safety protocols. Effective June 15, 2021, public access will generally revert to prepandemic levels while many of the recently introduced online and remote options will remain available.

– Judge Margie Gunthardt Woods will officially retire from the San Diego Superior Court today after serving more than 30 years as a judicial officer in various capacities. She began her judicial career as a Superior Court Juvenile Court Referee at just 33 years of age, presiding over juvenile dependency and delinquency cases from 1987-1990. Judge Woods returned to the bench in 1993 when she was selected to serve as a Municipal Court Commissioner.

In observance of the Memorial Day statewide holiday, the San Diego Superior Court will close all courtrooms and business offices on Monday, May 31, 2021. The public is urged to visit the Court’s website at sdcourt.ca.gov to handle traffic tickets or obtain court information

Judge Jeffrey B. Barton will officially retire from the San Diego Superior Court today. Judge Barton served 20 years on the bench and had assignments in civil, family, and criminal law.

“Serving the San Diego public as a judge has been a great privilege and honor, said Judge Barton. “The opportunity to give all members of the public a full, fair and unbiased opportunity to have their cases heard was the greatest experience of my professional life.”

The Honorable Ronald L. Styn will conclude more than 20 years on the San Diego Superior Court bench on Friday, April 16, 2021. Judge Styn, a native San Diegan and graduate of Chula Vista High School, earned a B.A. from the University of Redlands before going on to earn his law degree from Stanford Law School.

The San Diego Superior Court is seeking applicants to fill a vacancy on the San Diego County Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC). The Juvenile Justice Commission is a state-mandated, court-appointed citizens’ commission. Its purpose is to inquire into the administration of juvenile court law in San Diego County, to provide leadership for citizen action and to promote an effective juvenile justice system operated in an environment of credibility, dignity, fairness and respect for the youth of San Diego County.

The San Diego Superior Court website (sdcourt.ca.gov) will not be available due to a planned power outage starting

Friday, April 9 at 7:30 p.m. through Saturday, April 10 at 2:00 p.m.

The outage will affect all San Diego Superior Court webpages and court systems, including the Court Index, Register of Actions and other court applications.

The San Diego Superior Court will be closed on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, in observance of the court-wide holiday commemorating Cesar Chavez Day. The public is urged to visit the Court’s website at sdcourt.ca.gov to handle traffic tickets or obtain court information.