Betty Dawson

Betty L. Dawson is an Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District. She was appointed in 2003 and has held other judicial offices, such as Judge of the Superior Court in Merced County. Before becoming a judge, she had a private law practice and was a research attorney for the California Court of Appeal. She has been a member of various organizations, such as the California Judges Association and the National Association of Women Judges. She has also taught at Merced College and was a teaching fellow at Stanford Law School. She has a law degree from Hastings College of the Law and a bachelor's degree in history from San Francisco State University. She is married with two children and enjoys travel, gardening, and the outdoors.