A state trial court / Established 1959

Superior Court of California, County of Fresno

A general-jurisdiction trial court in California.

The Superior Court of California, County of Fresno is a general-jurisdiction state trial court in California, where most civil and criminal cases are first heard. Its judges are chosen by gubernatorial appointment from a nominating commission, followed by retention elections, the method California uses for its judges. This page lists the judges on record for this court from our public-records source, current and former; trial-court coverage is partial.

Judges in history

Currently serving

Merit selection

Selection

12-yr

Term

Current judges

Judge	Since
Gregory Thomas Fain	1998
Timothy Alan Kams	1998
M. Bruce Smith	2000
Debra Jean Kazanjian	2001
Gary Rico Orozco	2001
Denise Lee Whitehead	2001
Adolfo Martinez Corona	2003
Jon Nick Kapetan	2003
John Frederick Vogt	2003
David Andrew Gottlieb	2005
Jeffrey Yates Hamilton Jr.	2005
Houry Alanjian Sanderson	2005
Daniel Tyler Tharpe	2006
Brian M. Arax	2007
Kristi Culver-Kapetan	2007
Alvin M. Harrell III	2007
Kimberly Jeanne Nystrom-Geist	2007
Glenda S. Allen-Hill	2008
F. Brian Alvarez	2009
James Alexander Kelley Jr.	2009
Rosemary Therese McGuire	2010
Jonathan Mark Skiles	2010
Francine Zepeda	2013
Mark Eugene Cullers	2015
Mary Demetra Dolas	2015
Lisa Marie Gamoian	2015
Michael G. Idiart	2016
Monica Renee Diaz	2017
Ana Isabel de Alba	2018
Amy Katherine Guerra	2018
Heather Mardel Jones	2019
Robert Geoffrey Mangano	2019
William Joseph Terrence	2019
Samuel John Dalesandro	2020

Former judges

Judge	Years
Kathleen A. Meehan	2014–2017
Dennis A. Peterson	2010–2019
Kimberly A. Gaab	2008–2017
Arlan L. Harrell	2006–2022
Don Penner	2006–2019
Jonathan B. Conklin	2005–2015
Donald R. Franson Jr.	2005–2010
David C. Kalemkarian	2005–2020
Edward , Jr. Sarkisian	2005–2006
Brad R. Hill	2003–2004
James R. Oppliger	2003–2010
Hilary A. Chittick	2002–2008
Rosendo Peña Jr.	2002–2012
Gary D. Hoff	2001–2013
Dale Ikeda	2001–2017
Carlos A. Cabrera	2000–2015
Alan M. Simpson	2000–2019
Mark Wood Snauffer	2000–2018
W. Kent Hamlin	1999–2020
James I. Aaron	1998–2002
Jane Cardoza	1998–2020
Fred Dupras	1998–2005
W. Kent Levis	1998–2008
Vincent J. McGraw	1998–2002
Joan L. McIntosh	1998–1999
Robert H. Oliver	1998–2015
H. N. Papadakis	1998–2004
Victor N. Papadakis	1998–1999
James Petrucelli	1998–2019
Jane Y. Punneo	1998–2005
Ralph L. Putnam	1998–2006
Dennis R. Scott	1998–2003
Franklin P. Jones	1991–2006
Sandra M Snyder	1991–1993
Gary Ray Kerkorian	1990–2000
Lawrence Joseph O'Neill	1990–1998
Lawrence Jones	1989–2005
Herbert Irwin Levy	1989–1997
Dwayne Keyes	1983–1999
Ralph Nunez	1983–2004
Mario G. Olmos	1983–1990
Gene M. Gomes	1982–2002
Stephen R. Henry	1981–2001
Eugene W. Krum	1981–1991
James L. Quaschnick	1981–2001
A. Dennis Caeton	1980–2005
John Fitch	1980–2001
Armando O. Rodriguez	1979–1980
Robert Z. Mardikian	1977–1994
Frank J., Jr. Creede	1973–1998
Blaine E. Pettitt	1970–1985
Harold V. Thompson	1961–1972
Leonard I. Meyers	1959–1987

How a judge reaches this court. Judges of the Superior Court of California, County of Fresno are appointed by the governor to 12-year terms and then face yes-or-no retention elections. Selection methods vary by jurisdiction and have changed over time; this page reflects the court’s current method (source: National Center for State Courts). Open any judge to see their tenure and whom they succeeded.

Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project (bulk data); selection method from the National Center for State Courts. Data last verified 2026-06-30. Verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).