Gavin Newsom appoints assistant city attorney in Fresno to be Superior Court judge

Robert Rodriguez

May 6, 2024 at 2:36 p.m.·1 min read

The chief assistant in the Fresno City Attorney’s Office has been appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to serve as a superior court judge in Fresno County.

Raj Singh Badhesha has worked in the City Attorney’s Office since 2012 and as chief assistant since 2022. Prior to that, he was an associate at Baker Manock & Jensen in Fresno from 2008 to 2012.

City Attorney Andrew Janz said Badhesha has been an instrumental part of his management team because of his broad knowledge of various aspects of the law and ability to deal with sensitive situations.

“Raj has all the qualities one hopes to find in a judge; he is open-minded, thoughtful, deliberate, well researched, and diplomatic,” Janz said. “While his broad legal experience and expertise is going to be a big loss to the City of Fresno, there is not a more fitting individual to serve Fresno County and the State of California with honesty and integrity.”

Badhesha thanked the governor for the judicial appointment.

“My commitment to justice, coupled with my understanding of the legal system and the needs of our community have prepared me to serve with integrity, fairness and compassion,” Badhesha said in a statement. “I am glad to be able to represent a segment of our community that we don’t often see on the bench, and I appreciate the Governor’s commitment to diversity.”

Badhesha is the first Sikh appointee in the state who observes the practice of adorning the Sikh headdress known as the dastar or pagri, Janz said.

Badhesha, a Democrat, earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. He fills the vacancy left open by the retirement of Judge Jon N. Kapetan.

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