Napa, Sonoma and Marin judges among those chosen for mentoring panel

A California judical mentoring program current judges from three North Bay counties as well as a judge from Solano County.

Judge Monique Langhorne of the Napa County Superior Court, Sonoma County Judge Chris Honigsberg, and Marin County Judge Andrew Sweet will served on a North Bay workgroup for the state's Judicial Mentoring Program. Also part of the group will be Solano County Judge Christine Carringe, the group annoucned Thursday.

The North Bay project is a partnership with the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who in July launched the court mentoring program — which sections for appeals and trial courts — with the goal of helping create a more inclusive judiciary.

"Our state's remarkable diversity is a point of pride and strength that I am committed to advancing at every level of state government," Newsom said in the statement. "This mentor program supports our efforts to identify the best and brightest judicial candidates from throughout the state, contributing to a stronger, more inclusive bench to better serve all Californians."

Judges serving in the North Bay's regional collaboration will communicate across sectors of the legal community—including bar associations, nonprofit legal organizations, local firms, and sole practitioners—to support lawyers who are considering service on local trial courts. The program will work to identify and provide judicial mentors for those lawyers, and provide information about the judicial appointment process, answer questions about application and vetting, and make recommendations to improve suitability for appointment.

"The process of applying, being vetted for, and ultimately selected for a judgeship can be cumbersome and daunting," Langhorne said in the release. "Our goal is to help qualified individuals interested in serving as a bench officer, both as a supportive resource and mentor, as they navigate through the judicial application process. In doing so, we'll be working collaboratively to encourage a diverse group of candidates to pursue public service as part of the state judiciary."

A Vallejo native, Langhorne served Napa County in Child Support Services and the District Attorney's Office before becoming a county court commissioner in 2006, overseeing cases including restraining orders, child custody, misdemeanor arraignments, drug court, and traffic violations. She was appointed to the Napa County bench in 2018 by then-Gov. Jerry Brown and was elected to a full four-year term as judge in March 2020.

Honigsberg was appointed in February 2018, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Elliot Daum. He previously held the post of deputy district attorney in Sonoma County.

Age 38 at the time he was choosen for the benche, Honigsberg of Petaluma was the youngest person in recent history to join the 20-member bench.

Sweet was appointed to the bench in 2009. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley and his law degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law.

The Press Democrat contributed to this report.