Our Courts - Contra Costa County Bar Association

Are We
There
Yet
The 2012 Court Year in Review
All of a sudden, we are closing in on
the end of 2012, and it has been a
whirlwind of a year. On December
31, 2012, my two-year term
as Presiding Judge will come to an end,
and the term of the new Presiding Judge,
Hon. Barry P. Goode, begins. I know and
have worked side-by-side with Judge
Goode, and I am confident that he will be
an outstanding Presiding Judge during
his term of office.
In January, Judge Richard Arnason
(ret.) was honored with an official sendoff
after 49 years of faithful service to this
court. There was an outpouring of affection
and respect from the bench, court
staff, longtime friends and the legal community
as Judge Arnason was given a final
salute. Known affectionately as “The
Dean”, Judge Arnason was one of California’s
longest serving judges. He will be
sorely missed. Judge Harlan Grossman
retired after 21 years of devoted service,
and Judge Peter Berger hung up his robe
after 18 years of dedicated service to the
court.
In the ever-changing landscape of the
court, there have been some bright spots
this year. First, some good news:
In February, the Governor appointed
former Public Defender Terri Mockler to
our bench. Judge Mockler is currently
assigned to the Walnut Creek Court, and
in January she will be assigned to the
Richmond Court. In May, we welcomed
our newest bench officer, the Honorable
Judy Johnson, former Executive Director
of the State Bar. Judge Johnson is currently
assigned to the Richmond Court,
and will relocate to the Pittsburg Court in
January.
Hon. Diana Becton
Presiding Judge
8
NovemBER 2012