March 5, 2024, Presidential Primary Election, Campaign Guide: Qualifications and Requirements for Superior Court Judge

Specific Offices to Which This Section Applies

• Superior Court Judge, Office #1
• Superior Court Judge, Office #3
• Superior Court Judge, Office #4
• Superior Court Judge, Office #5
• Superior Court Judge, Office #6
• Superior Court Judge, Office #7
• Superior Court Judge, Office #11
• Superior Court Judge, Office #13
• Superior Court Judge, Office #15
• Superior Court Judge, Office #17

Term of Office

Superior Court Judges serve six-year terms beginning January 6, 2025.

• ▶ California Constitution Article VI § 16(c)

Qualifications

A candidate for Superior Court Judge shall:

• be a citizen of the United States; and
• be registered to vote and otherwise qualified to vote for that office at the time nomination papers are issued; and
• not have been convicted of a felony involving accepting or giving, or offering to give, any bribe, the embezzlement of public money, extortion or theft of public money, perjury, or conspiracy to commit any of those crimes, or for being an official interested in contracts, or becoming a vendor or purchaser at sales, or purchasing scrip of other evidences of indebtedness, in which the official has financial interest; and
• have been a member of the State Bar for ten years immediately preceding the election; or
• have served as a judge of a California court of record for ten years immediately preceding the election

• ▶ California Constitution Article VI § 15; Elections Code §§ 20, 201; Government Code § 1097

Filing Requirements

Filing Fee

The non-refundable filing fee is payable to the Registrar of Voters, and must be paid at the time the Declaration of Intention is filed.

The filing fee for Superior Court Judge is $2,323.99.

• ▶ Elections Code §§ 8104(b), 8105(b)

Signatures-in-Lieu of Paying Filing Fee

A candidate may submit petitions containing signatures of registered voters to cover all, or any pro-rata portion, of the filing fee. The petition-in-lieu form may be obtained from any county elections official beginning September 14, 2023. The petitions must be filed with the county elections official in the county where circulated no later than the close of business on November 8, 2023, and prior to filing a Declaration of Intention. Circulators shall be 18 years of age or older.

The number of signatures-in-lieu needed to cover the full cost of the filing fee for Judge of the Superior Court is 6,972.

Any registered voter may sign an in-lieu-filing-fee petition for any candidate for whom he or she is eligible to vote.

• ▶ Elections Code §§ 102, 8106(a)(4), 8106(a)(6), 8106(b) et seq.

Nomination Documents and Procedures

Declaration of Intention

Each candidate must file a Declaration of Intention between October 30, 2023, and November 8, 2023, in the office of the elections official in which his or her nomination papers are required to be filed. If an incumbent, eligible to be elected, fails to file by the close of business on November 8, 2023, any person other than the incumbent may file a Declaration of Intention not later than the close of business on November 13, 2023. No candidate for a judicial office shall be required to state his or her residential address on the Declaration of Intention; however, the address must be provided to the elections official for verification.

• ▶ Elections Code §§ 8023, 8024

Declaration of Candidacy

Each candidate is required to file a Declaration of Candidacy between November 13, 2023, and December 8, 2023. The Declaration shall be obtained from the county elections official of the county in which the candidate resides and is a voter. The Declaration of Candidacy must be executed in the office of the elections official unless the candidate, in a written statement signed and dated by the candidate, designates a third party to obtain the Declaration from the county elections official and deliver it to the candidate. Such written statement shall state that the candidate is aware the Declaration must be properly executed and delivered to the county elections official from whom it was obtained not later than the close of business on December 8, 2023.

If an incumbent, eligible to be elected, files a Declaration of Intention within the prescribed time frame, but fails to file a Declaration of Candidacy by the close of business on December 8, 2023, any person, other than the person who was the incumbent on December 8, 2023, may file a Declaration of Candidacy not later than the close of business on December 13, 2023, regardless of whether that person filed a Declaration of Intention.

No candidate for a judicial office shall be required to state his or her residential address on the Declaration of Candidacy; however, the address must be provided to the elections official for verification.

• ▶ Elections Code §§ 8023, 8024, 8040, 8064, 8100, 8204

Nomination Papers

Each candidate is required to file a Nomination Petition between November 13, 2023, and December 8, 2023, containing at least 20 and no more than 40 signatures of registered voters in the jurisdiction. Each section of the Nomination Petition shall be delivered to the county elections official of the county where circulated, not later than the close of business on December 8, 2023. Circulators shall be 18 years of age or older. NOTE: Signatures submitted in lieu of paying the filing fee, which meet the requirements of this section, may be designated to satisfy this requirement.

• ▶ Elections Code §§ 100, 102, 106(a), 8020, 8041, 8061, 8062(a)(3), 8063, 8066, 8068, 8106(d)

Ballot Designation Worksheet

In order to facilitate review of a candidate's proposed ballot designation, the candidate shall submit, at the time of filing his or her proposed ballot designation on the Declaration of Candidacy, a completed Ballot Designation Worksheet on a form provided by the elections official.

• ▶ Elections Code § 13107.3

Statement of Qualifications (Optional)

Any candidate for local nonpartisan office may submit a Statement of Qualifications to be printed in the County Voter Information Guide. Statements must be filed or submitted electronically by the time nomination papers are filed. Statements may be withdrawn, but not changed, until 5 p.m. the next regular business day after nominations close. Statements are confidential until the nomination (or extended nomination) period closes, and then become public record.

Statements shall be limited to a recitation of the candidate’s own personal background and qualifications, and shall not in any way make reference to other candidates for that office or to another candidate's qualifications, character, or activities.

Any candidate in an election (including an incumbent in a recall) who knowingly makes a false statement of a material fact in a candidate's statement prepared pursuant to Elections Code § 11327 or § 13307, with the intent to mislead the voters, is punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).

• ▶ Elections Code §§ 13307 et seq., 13307.7

Statement of Economic Interests (Form 700)

California Government Code § 87300 requires every agency to adopt a Conflict of Interest Code. A Conflict of Interest Code is a document that designates the positions within an agency, which make or participate in making governmental decisions that may have a foreseeable material effect on any financial interest.

Each candidate must file a Statement of Economic Interests (Form 700) not later than the final filing date for the Declaration of Candidacy. Elected officials must also file Statements of Economic Interests within (30) days after assuming office, annually, and within (30) days of leaving office. If an individual is appointed to an office, he or she must file not more than (30) days after assuming office. Under certain conditions, the Statement of Economic Interests need not be filed if such a statement was filed within (60) days prior to the filing of a Declaration of Candidacy or the date of assuming office.

• ▶ Government Code §§ 87200 et seq.

Code of Fair Campaign Practices (Voluntary)

At the time an individual files their Declaration of Intention, Declaration of Candidacy, Nomination Petition, or any other paper evidencing an intention to be a candidate for public office, the county elections official shall give the individual a copy of the Code of Fair Campaign Practices.

• ▶ Elections Code § 20440

Mass Mailings

A copy of Government Code § 84305 shall be provided to each candidate or their agent at the time of filing the Declaration of Candidacy.

• ▶ Elections Code § 16; Government Code § 84305

Campaign Committee Filing Obligations

See the Campaign Disclosure Requirements section of this Guide or Campaign Disclosure Manual 2 (August 2023 Edition) put out by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC).