SAN DIEGO (April 27, 2026) — The San Diego County Bar Association (SDCBA) announced its evaluations for eight candidates vying for five San Diego Superior Court judicial seats in the June 2, 2026 primary election.

The SDCBA has conducted judicial candidate evaluations since 1978 as a public service, recognizing that limited information about judicial candidates is available for voters. The SDCBA’s evaluations are not endorsements and do not compare opposing candidates. Rather, each candidate is assessed independently based upon their qualifications, in accordance with the SDCBA’s Judicial Election Evaluation Committee (JEEC) Rules. Each candidate receives one of the following ratings:

 

“Exceptionally Qualified”: Presently possessing exceptional professional ability, experience, competence, integrity and/or temperament to perform the judicial function.

 

“Well Qualified”: Presently possessing a high-level professional ability, experience, competence, integrity and/or temperament indicating high-level ability to perform the judicial function.

 

"Qualified": Presently possessing professional ability, experience, competence, integrity and/or temperament indicating ability to perform the judicial function.

 

"Lacking Qualifications": Presently not possessing professional ability, experience, competence, integrity and/or temperament indicating ability to perform the judicial function.

 

“Unable to Evaluate”: If the Committee does not receive sufficient information from persons who know a candidate to fairly and adequately evaluate a candidate's ability to perform the judicial function, the candidate may be deemed “Unable to Evaluate.”
 

 

 

Commissioner Leah Boucek        EXCEPTIONALLY QUALIFIED
 

 

Tracy Prior                       EXCEPTIONALLY QUALIFIED
 

 

Jodi Cleesattle                  EXCEPTIONALLY QUALIFIED

Adam Noakes                    WELL QUALIFIED
 

 

Nicole D’Ambrogi                 LACKING QUALIFICATIONS

David Gallo                      UNABLE TO EVALUATE

Tia Ramirez                      QUALIFIED
 

 

Laurie Hauf                     EXCEPTIONALLY QUALIFIED
 

 

State court judges in California serve six-year terms and are elected by county voters on a nonpartisan ballot at a general election. Vacancies are filled through gubernatorial appointment. At the end of each term, judges must seek re-election, and attorneys may run for open seats.

 

The JEEC comprises 22 attorneys representing a broad cross-section of the legal community, including practitioners from the public and private sectors, civil and criminal law and firms of varying sizes. The committee gathers information from a wide range of sources, including community input and candidate submissions, and follows a detailed, confidential evaluation process modeled after the State Bar of California’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation.

 

Judicial candidates are evaluated on 15 different criteria, including fairness and objectivity; integrity and honesty; decisiveness; judgment and common sense; judicial temperament; knowledge of the law; professional reputation; trial experience; intellect and ability; tolerance and lack of bias; caseload management; courtesy and patience; writing and research skills; and compassion and understanding. The evaluation process does not consider factors such as religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, race, gender, disability, or area of legal practice

 

“The SDCBA is in a unique position to provide feedback on judicial candidates directly from peers and colleagues in the legal community,” said Timothy Williams, President of the San Diego County Bar Association. “The evaluation process is designed to be fair and impartial, with a high degree of confidentiality built-in to encourage honest, candid feedback on every candidate. We offer these ratings as a springboard to voters to launch their own research and make informed decisions when casting their ballots. An informed electorate – exercising its Constitutional rights to participate in open, free, and fair elections – is the cornerstone of American Democracy, and the SDCBA is proud to lend its voice to the process.”