New York, 23 May

Indian-American attorney Jaya Badiga, a certified family law specialist, has been appointed as a Judge in the Sacramento County Superior Court in the US state of California.

Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, made the appointment of Badiga, who has earlier served as a Commissioner at the Sacramento County Superior Court since 2022. Badiga, born in Vijayawada city of Andhra Pradesh, fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Robert S. Lapham.

Badiga, a member of the Democrat Party, also served as an Attorney at the California Department of Health Care Services in 2020 and at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services in 2018. Badiga earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Santa Clara University School of Law and a Master of Arts degree in International Relations and International Communications from Boston University.

Badiga is a certified family law specialist and has worked in Family Law for more than ten years, according to the Sacramento Country Public Law Library.

Separately, the governor appointed Raj Singh Badhesha of Fresno County as a Judge in the Fresno County Superior Court. Badhesha, who fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Jon N. Kapetan, has served as Chief Assistant City Attorney in the Fresno City Attorney’s Office since 2022 and has served in several roles there since 2012.

Badhesha, a Democrat, has become the first Sikh to be appointed to the Fresno County bench and the first Sikh judge in California who observes the practice of wearing the Sikh headdress known as the dastar or pagri, FOX26NEWS reported earlier this month. His appointment has been celebrated by many in the Central Valley Punjabi and Asian communities.

Badhesha, in a statement after his appointment, said: "I would like to thank Governor Gavin Newsom for having confidence in my ability to serve as a Fresno County Superior Court judge. After years of dedicated service to the Fresno community, including invaluable experience in the Fresno City Attorney’s Office and extensive volunteer work, I am honoured to be appointed as a Fresno Superior Court Judge."

"My commitment to justice, coupled with my understanding of the legal system and the needs of our community, have prepared me to serve with integrity, fairness, and compassion. I am glad to be able to represent a segment of our community that we don’t often see on the bench, and I appreciate the Governor’s commitment to diversity," he said.

He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California College of Law in San Francisco.