Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently announced new appointments to California Superior Courts, and four of the twelve are Santa Clara Law alumni.
“We congratulate our alumni on their appointments to these leadership positions,” said Donald J. Polden, dean, Santa Clara Law. “As we celebrate our school’s centennial, we are proud that so many of our alumni over the past 100 years have chosen to serve their communities by serving in the judiciary.”
Javier Alcala B.A. ’77, J.D. ’82 and Deborah A. Ryan J.D. ’77 were appointed to judgeships in the Santa Clara County Superior Court.
Javier Alcala, 57, of Mountain View, has been a deputy district attorney for the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office since 1983. He earned a J.D. from Santa Clara Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Santa Clara University.
Deborah A. Ryan, 57, of San Jose, has been a court commissioner for the Santa Clara County Superior Court since 1999. Previously, she served as senior assistant counsel for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority from 1995 to 1999, and as deputy county counsel for Santa Clara County Counsel’s Office from 1989 to 1994 and from 1987 to 1988. She was the project coordinator for the Comprehensive Adjudication of Drug Arrestees program for the Santa Clara County Executive Office from 1988 to 1989. Prior to that, Ryan was a deputy public defender for the Santa Clara County Public Defender’s Office from 1978 to 1987. She earned a J.D. from Santa Clara Law and a bachelor’s degree from U.C. Davis.
Elisabeth Mineta J.D. ’88 was appointed to the Monterey County Superior Court. Mineta, 50, of Salinas, has been a legal research attorney for the Monterey County Superior Court since 2005 and held the same position from 1988 to 1999. She served as a sole practitioner for the Law Office of Lisa Mineta from 1999 to 2005. Mineta earned her J.D. from Santa Clara Law and a bachelor’s degree from U.C. Berkeley.
Jonathan Skiles J.D. ’95 was appointed to the Fresno County Superior Court. Skiles, 48, of Fresno, has been a commissioner for the Fresno County Superior Court since 2009. Previously, he worked for the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office as assistant district attorney from 2008 to 2009 and deputy district attorney from 2005 to 2008 and also from 1997 to 2004. Skiles was a deputy city attorney for the Fresno City Attorney’s Office in 2004 and 2005. Prior to that, he was an attorney for Thoits Love Hershberger and McLean from 1996 to 1997 and Gray Carey Ware and Freidenrich from 1994 to 1996. Skiles earned a J.D. from Santa Clara Law and a bachelor’s degree from CSU Stanislaus.
ABOUT SANTA CLARA LAW
During this academic year, Santa Clara University School of Law is celebrating its first 100 years of educating lawyers who lead. Founded in 1911 on the site of California’s oldest operating higher-education institution, Santa Clara Law is dedicated to educating lawyers who lead with a commitment to excellence, ethics, and social justice. One of the nation’s most diverse law schools, Santa Clara Law offers its 1,000 students an academically rigorous program, including graduate degrees in international law and intellectual property law; combined J.D./MBA and J.D./MSIS degrees; and certificates in intellectual property law, international law, and public interest and social justice law. Santa Clara Law is located in the world-class business center of Silicon Valley, and is distinguished nationally for its top-ranked program in intellectual property. For more information, see law.scu.edu.
