Commission Confirms Four Appointments to Courts of Appeal

Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero, chair of the Commission on Judicial Appointments, announced today that the commission confirmed four appointments to California's Courts of Appeal in Sacramento, San Jose, and Ventura:

• David Sapp, as associate justice of the Third Appellate District (Sacramento)
• Judge Lauri Damrell, as associate justice of the Third Appellate District (Sacramento)
• Judge Frederick Chung, as associate justice of the Sixth Appellate District (San Jose)
• Judge Denise Hippach, as associate justice of the Second Appellate District, Division Six (Ventura)

The appointees were confirmed by unanimous vote of the three-member commission, which includes: California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero (Chair); California Attorney General Rob Bonta; Administrative Presiding Justice Laurie M. Earl (for the Third Appellate District hearings); Administrative Presiding Justice Mary J. Greenwood (for the Sixth Appellate District hearing); and Presiding Justice Frances Rothschild (for the Second Appellate District hearing).

The confirmations of Mr. Sapp, Judge Damrell, and Judge Chung are subject to voter confirmation during the general election scheduled for Nov. 3, with terms beginning on Jan. 4, 2027, if voter confirmation is successful.

You can learn more in the public documents available for this hearing.

Appointee Biographies

David Sapp would fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Ronald Robie after he completes his term of office on Jan. 4, 2027. He has served in multiple roles at the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom including as the Governor's legal affairs secretary since 2022, chief deputy legal affairs secretary from 2021 to 2022, and as a deputy legal affairs secretary from 2019 to 2021. He previously worked at the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California as director of education advocacy from 2014 to 2016 and as staff attorney from 2009 to 2014. He served as a law clerk at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals from 2008 to 2009; worked as a Skadden fellow and staff attorney at the Advocates for Children's Services, Legal Aid of North Carolina from 2006 to 2008; and served as a law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama from 2005 to 2006. He received his Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School.

Judge Lauri Damrell fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Elena J. Duarte. She has served as a Sacramento Superior Court judge since 2018 and has worked as an adjunct professor at Lincoln Law School since 2022 and as a visiting lecturer at the University of California, Davis since 2019. Before joining the bench, she was in private practice as partner from 2016 to 2018 and an associate from 2006 to 2016. She served as deputy district attorney at the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office in 2014 and as a law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California from 2005 to 2006. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Davis School of Law.

Judge Frederick Chung would fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Adrienne Grover after she completes her term of office on Jan. 4, 2027. He has served as a Santa Clara Superior Court judge since 2018. Before joining the bench, he was in private practice as a partner from 2003 to 2018 and an associate from 1996 to 2003. He served as a law clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 1995 to 1996. He received his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

Judge Denise Hippach fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Justice Tari Cody to presiding justice. She has served as a Santa Barbara Superior Court judge since 2022. Before joining the bench, she served as a senior deputy county counsel at the Santa Barbara County Counsel's Office from 2018 to 2022; a deputy attorney general at the Idaho Attorney General's Office from 2015 to 2018; a deputy prosecuting attorney at the Canyon County Prosecutor's Office from 2016 to 2018; a panel attorney at the California Court of Appeal's Court-Appointed Counsel Program from 2014 to 2018; a deputy county counsel at the Los Angeles County Counsel's Office from 2008 to 2014; and a deputy district attorney at the Riverside County District Attorney's Office from 2004 to 2006. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

View the full photo album on the California Courts Flickr.