Gov. Newsom Announces Judicial Appointments

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his nomination of three Court of Appeal Justices, including Judge Stephen Goorvitch as associate justice of the Second District Court of Appeal, Division Two.

The Governor also announced his appointment of seven Superior Court Judges: two in Los Angeles County.

Second District Court of Appeal, Division Two

Stephen Goorvitch, of Los Angeles County, has been appointed to serve as an Associate Justice in the Second District Court of Appeal, Division Two. Goorvitch has served as a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2015. He served as an assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California from 2007 to 2015. He was counsel at O’Melveny and Myers from 2003 to 2007. Goorvitch served as a law clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2002 to 2003 and in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California from 2001 to 2002. He served as a staff attorney in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from 1998 to 2001. Goorvitch received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Judith T. Ashmann-Gerst. This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, which consists of Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and Senior Presiding Justice Francis Rothschild. Goorvitch is a Democrat.

Los Angeles Superior Court

Victoria Shapiro, of Los Angeles County, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Shapiro has served as a commissioner at the Los Angeles County Superior since 2026. She served as the lead judicial attorney at the Second District Court of Appeal since 2021, where she also served as a senior judicial attorney from 2016 to 2021 and as a judicial attorney from 2015 to 2016. Shapiro worked as an associate at Arnold & Porter from 2002 to 2010. She worked as the vice president and General Counsel at The Brain Technologies Corporation from 2000 to 2002. Shapiro worked as an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher from 1998 to 2000 and as an associate at Covington & Burling from 1996 to 1998. She received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Patrick T. Madden. Shapiro is a Democrat. 

Anastasia Zykanova, of Orange County, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Zykanova has served as a deputy public defender at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office since 2018. She served as a deputy public defender at the Kern County Public Defender’s Office in 2018. Zykanova  worked as an associate at Ferentino & Associates from 2012 to 2017. Zykanova received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Ana Luna. Zykanova is a Democrat.