California Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Armenian-American attorney Arpa Stepanian as a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, reports Zartonk Media. The Governor’s office announced the appointment on November 4.
Stepanian fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Maurice Leiter. The position carries compensation of $244,727.
He was one of 23 Superior Court judges Newsom appointed that day, 5 of them in Los Angeles County. Of those 23, 19 are Democrats and 4, including Stepanian, are registered without party preference. None are Republicans.
Stepanian has been a partner at Weiss and Stepanian since 2015. He owned The Stepanian Law Firm from 2012 to 2015 and was a partner at Stepanian and Donath from 2010 to 2012.
Before entering private practice he served as a Deputy Public Defender at the Riverside County Public Defender’s Office from 2006 to 2010, and as a staff attorney at Inland Counties Legal Services from 2004 to 2006. The Armenian Bar Association said those roles gave him a foundation in public service and in representing people who might otherwise face significant barriers to legal representation.
He worked as a sole practitioner from 2003 to 2004 and as a hearing representative at the Law Offices of Dennis Hershewe from 2002 to 2003. He received his Juris Doctor from San Fernando Valley College of Law.
The Armenian Bar Association, which congratulated him in a statement on November 4, said he brings more than two decades of legal experience to the bench in a career marked by criminal defense, advocacy for individual rights and service to underserved communities.
According to the Association, Stepanian has handled thousands of criminal cases at every stage of proceedings, from arraignments and preliminary hearings through jury trials, across a range of matters including serious felony offenses. It said he has secured jury acquittals in cases carrying potential life sentences, and negotiated outcomes that reduced charges and sentences.
He was selected as a Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Star, named Best Attorney for the City of Glendale by Glendale News-Press readers, and named Misdemeanor Attorney of the Year by a county public defender’s office. He has published articles on the ethics of law clerks and on private rights of action against law enforcement.
The Association said the appointment reflects its longstanding work to encourage greater Armenian representation in the judiciary and to build relationships across the legal profession. It said Stepanian expressed his enthusiasm for remaining engaged with the Armenian legal community and supporting its future generations.
The same November 4 announcement filled a seat on the Orange County Superior Court created by the elevation of Judge Maria Daghlian Hernandez to the California Court of Appeal. The Armenian Bar Association celebrated her appointment to the appellate court in September.
