Five candidates in six judgeship races have majority leads. Mail-in ballot count underway
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- Jennifer L. Hamilton led Judge No. 14 with 62.29% to 37.42% after 15% counted.
- Noelle Pebet led Judge No. 9 with 58.74% while Eddie Ruiz had 40.93%.
- Jennifer L. Smith led Judge No. 12 with 73.7% against Miles Harris’s 25.9%.
CORRECTION: The Fresno Bee mistakenly reported Tuesday that five of the six races for Fresno County Superior Court judge were won by the top candidate. They were not. They each held majorities, but the vote count continues with an estimated 70,000 mail-in ballots still to be counted that could change some races.
Five of the six positions for Fresno County Superior Court judge had majority leaders after Tuesday’s primary election, but more than 70,000 mail-in ballots remain to be counted.
James Kus, Fresno County Clerk and Registrar of Voters, said Wednesday that it is possible the additional ballots could change the outcome of some races.
There are 70,900 ballots, including mail-in ballots, provisional ballots, plus conditional voter registration and provisional ballots.
“Nothing is over yet,” he said.
The closest race for Superior Court Judge was the No. 6 post.
Candidate Ashley Paulson, chief prosecuting attorney for the City of Fresno, was leading challenger and former colleague Steven Ueltzen, a senior deputy district attorney in Fresno County. Paulson had 48.27% to 31.82% for Ueltzen. Defense attorney Deidre Adams had 19.64%, as of Tuesday.
If a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the primary election, he or she is declared the winner; if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a runoff between the top two candidates is held during the November general election.
Paulson’s campaign was among the most visible, with a heavy presence on social media and endorsements from law enforcement groups, Superior Court judges, and local elected officials.
“The initial results are extremely humbling, and I’m grateful to the voters of Fresno County for voting for me to serve as their next Superior Court Judge,” she said Tuesday evening. “I look forward to seeing upcoming results and the final outcome of this primary election.”
The top vote getter in the race for the No. 12 position, was Jennifer L. Smith, senior deputy district attorney for Fresno County. Smith finished the evening with 71% of the vote. Her challenger, attorney Miles Harris had 27.92% of the vote.
Superior Court Judge No. 14 candidate Jennifer L. Hamilton, a Superior Court Commissioner and wife of presiding judge Jeff Hamilton, was leading with 62.42.% while her opponent Jamie Xiong-Vang had 37.28.%.
In the Superior Court Judge No. 3 race, Marc Kapetan, a defense attorney whose brother Jon is a retired Superior Court judge and whose sister-in-law is a current Superior Court judge received 55.95%, while his opponent Rosalina Nunez, a defense attorney, had 43.78%.
Noelle Pebet, a Superior Court commissioner and niece of Michael Idiart, a current Superior Court judge, received 56.86% in the race for Superior Court Judge No. 9. Her opponent defense attorney Eddie Ruiz had 42.79%.
Also enjoying a slim majority for the Superior Court Judge No. 7 post was Jeffrey Hammerschmidt, a longtime lawyer with experience as a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney. Hammerschmidt received 52.31% of the vote. His closest competitor was Jose Salazar, an attorney, with 32.59%. Trailing in third place was attorney Curtis Sok with 14.79%.
This election cycle, Fresno County voters elected six new judges for the Fresno County Superior Court, the most in recent history.
Superior court judges are appointed by the governor when a vacancy happens in the middle of an elected term. But when a judge serves their six-year term, they can run for reelection.
In Fresno County’s case, several judges chose not to run again, creating open seats and attracting a slew of well-known candidates, including current court commissioners, high-profile prosecutors, and longtime defense attorneys.
This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 9:17 PM.
