Stockton, CA — Judge Gus C. Barrera, II is the new Presiding Judge and Judge Lance Jacot is the new Assistant Presiding Judge. Their terms commenced January 1, 2024 and run through December 31, 2025.
Judge Barrera served as the former Assistant Presiding Judge in 2022 – 2023 and replace outgoing Presiding Judge Michael D. Coughlan. Judge Barrera earned his Juris Doctor degree from the Brigham Young University Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He was a partner and attorney at the Law Offices of Allan Jose and Gus Barrera II from 2005 to 2010. Judge Barrera served as a deputy district attorney at the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office from 1998 to 2005 and was an associate at David Allen and Associates from 1997 to 1998. He had been a sole practitioner since 2011 when he was appointed to the Superior Court by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. in December 2016.
Judge Jacot is currently assigned as a criminal trial judge. Judge Jacot was appointed to the bench by Governor Gavin Newsom in December 2019. He was a sole practitioner from 2010 to 2019 and served as a deputy public defender at the San Joaquin County Public Defender’s Office from 1999 to 2010. Judge Jacot earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings).
The Presiding Judge, with the assistance of the Court Executive Officer, is responsible for leading the court, establishing policies, and allocating resources in a manner that promotes equal access to justice, maximizes the use of judicial and other resources, increases efficiency in court operations, and enhances service to the public. The Assistant Presiding Judge shall act in the absence of the Presiding Judge and will then assume the role of the Presiding Judge when the two-year term as Assistant expires.
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