California Governor Names India-Born Attorney as Superior Court Judge

Sweena Pannu, a Democrat, who will serve as a Judge in the Stanislaus County Superior Court, fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Thomas D. Zeff.

New York: An Indian-American attorney is among 27 new superior court judge appointees announced by California Governor Gavin Newsom. Sweena Pannu, a Democrat, who will serve as a Judge in the Stanislaus County Superior Court, fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Thomas D. Zeff.

The compensation for each of these 27 positions is $231,174, according to a press release from the Governor’s office. Pannu has served as a Deputy County Counsel in the Stanislaus County Counsel’s Office since 2020.

From 2006-2020, she served as a Deputy Public Defender at the Stanislaus County Public Defender’s Office. She was an attorney at ML SARIN from 1996 to 2004, and earned a Master of Laws degree from the University of Aberdeen School of Law after graduating from Punjab University.