Profile of Anne Richardson

Justice Richardson has served on the Court of Appeal since November 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.

She was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court in October 2018 by Governor Brown. She served there for six years, first in family law and then in a 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 for the Second Appellate District, Division Three.

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 Court Judge for the Central District of California. After her clerkship, she worked in private practice at Hadsell Stormer Richardson & Renick and its predecessors for 24 years. In that capacity, she litigated in state and federal court at both the trial level and in the courts of appeal. She then worked at Public Counsel for four years, where she directed the litigation of complex consumer cases before her appointment to the bench.

Justice Richardson has taught at Loyola Law School and the University of California, Irvine School of Law.  Over the course of her career, Justice Richardson has taught at many legal conferences and in judicial education. She has written articles, book chapters, and book reviews. She is currently on the Executive Board of the California Judges Association and a member of the National Association of Women Judges, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.

Justice Richardson has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including two California Lawyer Attorney of the Year (CLAY) awards and an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell. An avid hiker, skier, and baker, she lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their rescue cat. She has one adult son.