Newsom Appoints Maria Diaz to San Diego Court
Diaz, a longtime attorney with a nonprofit representing children and adults in dependency cases, fills a vacancy left by Judge Marsha Amin.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in People
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Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Maria Diaz as a San Diego Superior Court judge, filling the seat vacated by Judge Marsha Amin, who was elevated to the appellate court. Diaz is expected to be sworn in later this month.
Why it matters
The appointment fills a San Diego Superior Court seat, one of 135 judicial seats in the county court system. The change reflects the state's process for replacing judges who move up to higher courts.
The San Diego Superior Court has 135 judicial seats, and Superior Court judges in California earn nearly $245,000 a year. The stub does not provide further detail on the compensation of this specific appointment.
The players
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom is the Governor of California, who made the judicial appointment.
Maria Diaz
Maria Diaz is a San Diego attorney and Democrat who has spent years in dependency law and child advocacy.
Marsha Amin
Marsha Amin is a former San Diego Superior Court judge who was elevated to the California appellate court.
Children's Legal Services of San Diego
Children's Legal Services of San Diego is a nonprofit organization of four law firms court-appointed to represent children and adults in dependency cases.
The details
Diaz has been a managing attorney at Children's Legal Services of San Diego since 2018, a nonprofit of four law firms court-appointed to represent children and adults in dependency cases. She earned her law degree from California Western School of Law and has been a member of the California State Bar since 2010.
Timeline
2010: Diaz became a member of the California State Bar.
2010 to 2015: Diaz was an attorney at Dependency Law Group of San Diego.
2016 to 2018: Diaz was an associate at Mesnik Law Group.
Earlier in 2026: Judge Marsha Amin was elevated to the appellate court.
Later this month: Diaz is expected to be sworn in.
People
Under California's process, the governor fills Superior Court vacancies when judges move up, and this appointment follows that path after Judge Marsha Amin's elevation to the appellate court. The appointment continues a pattern in which trial court seats are filled from the ranks of experienced practitioners in public-interest and family law.
For San Diego residents with cases before the Superior Court, the appointment changes which judge presides over matters in the vacated seat. The swearing-in later this month will determine when the new judge begins hearing cases.
The takeaway
Judicial appointments at the trial court level shape daily court operations in a county, and this one brings a child-advocacy attorney to the San Diego bench. Readers following local courts can track the swearing-in to see how the seat is filled.
What happens next
Diaz is expected to be sworn in later this month.
Further reading
Explore more People coverage tied to San Diego leadership appointments.
Source note: This article includes information reported by San Diego Union-Tribune.
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