Tara M. Desautels
CA · Associate Justice, California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division Two
Desautels is an associate justice in Division Two of California's First District Court of Appeal. She previously served 14 years on the Alameda County Superior Court, including as presiding judge, and worked as a deputy district attorney.
Where Tara M. Desautels stands, based on their records
Mixed record
Public Safety and Crime Control (6 support · 2 oppose), Civil Rights (7 support · 4 oppose)
Campaign finance information not available
Track record
Track record — Public Safety and Crime Control
Public Safety and Crime Control · 6 support · 2 oppose
Authored Schurman Family Company TIC v. Superior Court, directing summary judgment for a property owner under the Privette contractor doctrine.
August 27, 2026Opposes Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored People v. Midell, affirming attempted-murder and torture convictions while rejecting a forfeited Racial Justice Act claim.
August 28, 2025Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Joined People v. Lewis, affirming an involuntary-antipsychotic-medication order issued without a live evidentiary hearing.
June 11, 2025Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored Bowen v. Burns & McDonnell, affirming summary judgment because the contractor's employee showed no retained-control exception to hirer immunity.
July 15, 2024Opposes Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Served on the Alameda County District Attorney's Child Sexual Assault team.
January 1, 1997Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Acted as the district attorney's liaison to the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Task Force.
January 1, 1997Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Served as an Alameda County deputy district attorney from 1997 through 2005 and prosecuted matters ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies.
January 1, 1997Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: acbanet.org · researched September 13, 2026
Served on the board and as chair of CALICO, a forensic child-victim interview center.
January 1, 1997Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Track record — Civil Rights
Civil Rights · 7 support · 4 oppose
Joined Birdsall v. Helfet, ordering a new trial after erroneous settlement, seat-belt evidence, and jury-instruction rulings.
September 17, 2025Supports Civil Rights
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored People v. Midell, affirming attempted-murder and torture convictions while rejecting a forfeited Racial Justice Act claim.
August 28, 2025Opposes Civil Rights
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Joined People v. Lewis, affirming an involuntary-antipsychotic-medication order issued without a live evidentiary hearing.
June 11, 2025Opposes Civil Rights
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Her trial-court judgment in Kuo v. Dublin Unified School District was affirmed, limiting a deceased school volunteer's survivors to workers' compensation.
March 12, 2025Opposes Civil Rights
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored Howell v. State Department of State Hospitals, preserving most of a discrimination verdict and remanding for consideration of prejudgment interest.
November 7, 2024Supports Civil Rights
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored People v. Gonsalves, reversing for resentencing under an amended sentencing law.
September 24, 2024Supports Civil Rights
Source: dailyjournal.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored City of Alameda v. Sheehan, requiring an eviction notice to identify a corporate rent payee by its correct and complete name.
September 13, 2024Supports Civil Rights
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored San Francisco Apartment Association v. City and County of San Francisco, invalidating a local 10-day eviction-warning ordinance as preempted by state law.
September 11, 2024Opposes Civil Rights
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Served on the Alameda County District Attorney's Child Sexual Assault team.
January 1, 1997Supports Civil Rights
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Acted as the district attorney's liaison to the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Task Force.
January 1, 1997Supports Civil Rights
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Served on the board and as chair of CALICO, a forensic child-victim interview center.
January 1, 1997Supports Civil Rights
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Track record — General
General · 3 records
Won confirmation as an associate justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Two.
May 14, 2024
Source: newsroom.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Governor Gavin Newsom nominated her to the First District Court of Appeal, Division Two.
March 12, 2024
Source: gov.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed her to the Alameda County Superior Court.
April 8, 2010
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Track record — Impartiality
Impartiality · 1 favorable
Won election by fellow judges as assistant presiding judge and later presiding judge of the Alameda County Superior Court.
January 1, 2019Favorable on Impartiality
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Track record — Legal Competence
Legal Competence · 29 favorable
Authored Schurman Family Company TIC v. Superior Court, directing summary judgment for a property owner under the Privette contractor doctrine.
August 27, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored Russian Riverkeeper v. County of Sonoma, rejecting a public-trust challenge but requiring CEQA review of groundwater-well rules.
August 5, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Joined the California Supreme Court majority in the Tenofovir Cases, rejecting a duty to commercialize an allegedly safer alternative to a nondefective drug.
August 3, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored Quinn v. Coulton, rejecting strict liability for lateral-support loss without excavation and striking unapportioned expert-fee costs.
July 20, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored Kumar v. Mid-Century Insurance, affirming summary judgment because an insured filed policy-benefit claims after the contractual deadline.
June 30, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Authored Quinteros v. Harbor Distributing, affirming sanctions for fabricated authorities and other generative-AI misuse by counsel.
June 11, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Joined Birdsall v. Helfet, ordering a new trial after erroneous settlement, seat-belt evidence, and jury-instruction rulings.
September 17, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored People v. Midell, affirming attempted-murder and torture convictions while rejecting a forfeited Racial Justice Act claim.
August 28, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Her trial-court orders denying arbitration in Consumer Advocacy Group v. Walmart were affirmed.
June 30, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Joined International Currency Technologies v. ICT, affirming a conversion award and prejudgment interest after a six-year delay in judgment.
June 27, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Joined People v. Lewis, affirming an involuntary-antipsychotic-medication order issued without a live evidentiary hearing.
June 11, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Her trial-court judgment in Kuo v. Dublin Unified School District was affirmed, limiting a deceased school volunteer's survivors to workers' compensation.
March 12, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored ParaFi Digital Opportunities v. Egorov, affirming dismissal of cryptocurrency-investor claims for lack of California personal jurisdiction.
January 15, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored Howell v. State Department of State Hospitals, preserving most of a discrimination verdict and remanding for consideration of prejudgment interest.
November 7, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored People v. Gonsalves, reversing for resentencing under an amended sentencing law.
September 24, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: dailyjournal.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored City of Alameda v. Sheehan, requiring an eviction notice to identify a corporate rent payee by its correct and complete name.
September 13, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored San Francisco Apartment Association v. City and County of San Francisco, invalidating a local 10-day eviction-warning ordinance as preempted by state law.
September 11, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored Bowen v. Burns & McDonnell, affirming summary judgment because the contractor's employee showed no retained-control exception to hirer immunity.
July 15, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Won confirmation as an associate justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Two.
May 14, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: newsroom.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Served on the Judicial Council's Information Technology Advisory Committee and chaired its Joint Information Security Governance Subcommittee.
January 1, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Served two terms as vice-chair of the statewide Trial Court Presiding Judges Advisory Committee during her pandemic-era presiding-judge term.
January 1, 2020Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Won election by fellow judges as assistant presiding judge and later presiding judge of the Alameda County Superior Court.
January 1, 2019Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Presided over family, criminal, juvenile, and civil departments during 14 years on the Alameda County Superior Court.
April 8, 2010Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Handled corporate investigations, white-collar defense, antitrust, and unfair-competition matters at Pillsbury.
January 1, 2005Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Litigated state and federal civil cases at Pillsbury from 2005 through 2010.
January 1, 2005Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Served on the Alameda County District Attorney's Child Sexual Assault team.
January 1, 1997Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Acted as the district attorney's liaison to the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Task Force.
January 1, 1997Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Served as an Alameda County deputy district attorney from 1997 through 2005 and prosecuted matters ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies.
January 1, 1997Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: acbanet.org · researched September 13, 2026
Served on the board and as chair of CALICO, a forensic child-victim interview center.
January 1, 1997Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Track record — Candidate Ethics
Candidate Ethics · 3 records
Authored Quinteros v. Harbor Distributing, affirming sanctions for fabricated authorities and other generative-AI misuse by counsel.
June 11, 2026
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Served on the Judicial Council's Information Technology Advisory Committee and chaired its Joint Information Security Governance Subcommittee.
January 1, 2024
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Handled corporate investigations, white-collar defense, antitrust, and unfair-competition matters at Pillsbury.
January 1, 2005
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Retention question · November 3, 2026
Profile last researched September 12, 2026.