Fresno attorney appointed by Gov. Newsom to be Superior Court judge: ‘This is a huge honor’
Irene Luna of Fresno was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to serve as a Superior Court judge in Fresno County.
The 41-year-old Luna will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge W. Kent Hamlin.
“This is a huge honor and I can’t wait to get started serving the community,” Luna said.
Luna, a Democrat, has held several positions at Fitzgerald, Alvarez, Ciummo & Associates since 2014, serving as Assistant Chief Defense Attorney in the San Benito office since 2021 and as Assistant Chief Defense Attorney for the Alternate Defense office in Fresno from 2018 to 2021.
Antonio Alvarez, chief defense attorney for Fitzgerald, Alvarez, Ciummo, praised Luna’s appointment.
“I think she is very deserving and is very well thought of,” Alvarez said. “It’s a big loss for us.”
Luna earned a Juris Doctor degree from the San Joaquin College of Law.
Newsom appointed judges in 10 other counties, including Butte, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Kern, Los Angeles, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties, as well as two in San Diego County.
Newsom also announced his nomination of Judge Maurice Sanchez as Associate Justice of the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Three.
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 5:57 PM.
