Anne Richardson

Justice Anne Richardson was nominated to serve on the Second District Court of Appeal, Division Two by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2024. She was unanimously confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments after receiving an “exceptionally well qualified” rating by the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation.

Justice Richardson received her B.A. in Philosophy from Swarthmore College. She received her J.D. with Distinction from Stanford Law School, where she was an editor on the Stanford Law Review. She began her legal career by clerking for the late Mariana R. Pfaelzer, District Judge for the Central District of California. After her clerkship, she worked as a fellow, associate, and ultimately partner at Hadsell Stormer Keeny Richardson & Renick, LLP, and its predecessors, for 24 years. In that capacity, she litigated civil rights, human rights, and employment cases both at the trial level and in the state and federal courts of appeal. She then worked as a Directing Attorney at Public Counsel, where she litigated complex matters involving civil rights and consumer issues for four years before her appointment to the bench.

She was appointed by Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. to the Los Angeles Superior Court in October 2018. She served there for 6 years, presiding over a family law home court and an independent calendar civil courtroom. She actively served on many committees during her time there, including Ethics, Rules Committee, Domestic Violence, and Mentorship. She also served as a Justice pro tem on the Second Appellate District, Division Three for three months.

Justice Richardson has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including two California Lawyer Attorney of the Year (CLAY) awards, a Pro Bono award by the ACLU of Southern California, and an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale Hubbell.

Justice Richardson has taught as an Adjunct Professor at Loyola Law School and the University of California, Irvine, in the areas of Civil Rights and Appellate Advocacy. 

Over the course of her career, Justice Richardson has taught at many seminars, conferences and in judicial education. She has also written articles, book chapters, and book reviews. She currently is a member of the California Judges Association, the ABA, the National Association of Women Judges, and the Executive Committee of the Labor and Employment Section of the LA County Bar Association.