Three UC Law SF Alums Appointed as California Judges

UC Law SF graduates Sarah Burdick ’06, Michael Nieto ’96, and Adrienne Leight Rogers ’03 are among the newest Superior Court judges appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom in June.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed three accomplished UC Law San Francisco alumni to fill judicial vacancies in the Bay Area. They will join a long list of more than 500 living UC Law SF graduates who have served on the benches of state and federal courts across the country.

Michael Nieto ’96 was selected to join the Contra Costa County Superior Court bench. With decades of experience as a prosecutor, he has handled numerous felony cases, including capital murder trials. He joined the Alameda County District Attorney’s office as a deputy DA in 1997 and was promoted to assistant DA in 2022. He has also served as an adjunct professor at UC Law SF since 2013, teaching courses on criminal practice and trial advocacy. He fills a vacancy left by retired Judge Clare Maier.

Adrienne Leight Rogers ’03 was tapped to serve as a San Francisco County Superior Court judge. No stranger to California courts, she has worked as a lawyer for the state’s First District Court of Appeal since 2008, most recently as managing attorney. Her previous roles include appellate court attorney for the Fourth District Court of Appeal, legal research assistant for the San Francisco County Superior Court, and associate at the firm Morgenstein & Jubelirer LLP. She fills a seat left vacant by retired Judge Loretta M. Giorgi.

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