Newsom appoints two justices to Sacramento County Superior Court, one coming from Yolo

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Peter Williams and Michelle Igra, both of Sacramento County, to serve as Sacramento Superior Court judges.

The appointments, announced Friday, were among 30 total new justices and judges. Three of the appointments were assigned justices to the California Courts of Appeal, which divides the state into six districts. The other 27 appointments were Superior Court judges to 17 counties across the state, according to a news release from the governor’s office.

The news release said compensation for all Court of Appeals justices is $264,542 and Superior Court judges is $231,174.

Peter Williams

Before his appointment, Williams served as a judge in Yolo County Superior Court, general counsel at the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency and several roles in the Department of Justice for 14 years.

Two of his roles at the DOJ included supervisor of the fraud and special prosecutions unit and as a special federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern and Central districts of California. He practiced law at multiple firms for roughly five years before that.

He earned his juris doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of Law.

Willams is a registered Democrat and will fill the vacancy created by Judge Stacy Boulware Eurie’s promotion to the Court of Appeal in August 2022, Newsom’s office said.

Michelle Igra

Prior to her appointment, Igra was a supervising deputy attorney general for the DOJ for 12 years and has been with the office since 2006.

Igra will take the position left open by Judge David De Alba’s retirement in November 2022.

She practiced law for seven years across two firms before her stint at the DOJ, and she holds her juris doctor degree from the Seattle University School of Law.

Newsom’s office said she is registered without a party preference.