Profile of Deborah C. Servino

Justice Deborah C. Servino was nominated to the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Three, by Governor Gavin Newsom on April 16, 2026, and confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments on May 22, 2026. She was rated “exceptionally well qualified” for the position by the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation of the State Bar of California.

Justice Servino previously served on the Orange County Superior Court from 2009 to 2026, appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Upon her appointment in 2009, she became the second Asian Pacific American woman to serve as a judge on the Orange County Superior Court. During her time on the trial bench, she presided over a wide range of assignments, including more than a decade on the Unlimited Civil Panel from 2015 to 2026, where she conducted over 180 trials. She was the presiding judge of the Appellate Division of Orange County Superior Court from July 2014 to June 2015.

Justice Servino has contributed to the statewide administration of justice, as a member of the Judicial Council of California Advisory Committee on Civil Jury Instructions, which is responsible for developing and maintaining the standard jury instructions used in California trial courts. She also served for 16 years on the Orange County Superior Court’s Judicial Extern Committee where she mentored aspiring lawyers and supported pathways to the legal profession. She chaired this committee from 2017 to 2023.

Her judicial service has been recognized by several legal organizations, including the Warren J. Ferguson American Inn of Court; the American Board of Trial Advocates, Orange County Chapter; the Orange County Asian American Bar Association; the Orange County Women Lawyers Association; and the Filipino-American Lawyers of Orange County.

Before her appointment to the bench, Justice Servino was a Deputy Attorney General at the California Department of Justice. She was lead counsel in more than 150 cases before the California Courts of Appeal, over 16 cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 3 cases before the California Supreme Court, and 1 case before the United States Supreme Court. In 2007, she was honored with the California Attorney General’s Award for Sustained Superior Accomplishment. In addition, she taught appellate advocacy at Loyola Law School in 2001 and 2003. She was a member of the State Bar Standing Committee on Appellate Courts from 2005 to 2009, and served as Vice Chair (2007-2008) and as Chair (2008-2009). She was a law clerk for Judge Melvin Brunetti of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. After her clerkship, she worked as an associate at Rutan & Tucker, LLP.

Justice Servino grew up in Orange County. She earned her B.A. from Duke University and graduated with honors. She received a J.D. from U.C. Berkeley School of Law.