SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom Oct. 22 announced his appointment of 12 Superior Court Judges: three were in Los Angeles County.
Los Angeles Superior Court
Jill Casselman, of Los Angeles County, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Casselman has served as an assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California since 2019. She was an associate at Robins Kaplan from 2013 to 2019 and an associate at Wasserman, Comden, Casselman & Esensten from 2009 to 2013. Casselman received a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Patricia Titus. Casselman is a Democrat.
Seza Mikikian, of Los Angeles County, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Mikikian has served as a deputy district attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office since 2007 where she also served as a law clerk from 2005 to 2007. Mikikian received a Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern Law School. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Stephanie M. Bowick. Mikikian is a Democrat.
Afsaneh Ashley Tabaddor, of Los Angeles County, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Tabaddor has been a law professor at Southwestern Law School and an independent policy consultant since 2025. She served as the chief counsel at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security from 2021 to 2025. Tabaddor served as an immigration judge for the Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review from 2005 to 2021. She served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California from 2002 to 2005. Tabaddor served as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice from 2000 to 2002 where she also served as an attorney advisor from 1999 to 2000. Tabaddor received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California College of Law, San Francisco. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Kenneth R. Freeman. Tabaddor is a Democrat.