Danny Y. Chou
CA · Associate Justice, California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division Five
Chou has served as an associate justice in Division Five of California's First District Court of Appeal since 2023. He previously served on the San Mateo County Superior Court and in senior roles with San Francisco and Santa Clara County law offices.
Track record
Track record — General
General · 7 records
Was unanimously confirmed as an associate justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Five.
June 23, 2023
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Was appointed an associate justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Five.
February 1, 2023
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Was appointed to the San Mateo County Superior Court, effective February 2018.
December 22, 2017
Source: archive.gov.ca.gov
Supervised Santa Clara County Counsel teams for social-justice and impact litigation, health and hospitals, and probate matters.
January 1, 2012
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Became an assistant county counsel in Santa Clara County.
January 1, 2012
Source: archive.gov.ca.gov
Became chief of complex and special litigation for the San Francisco City Attorney's Office.
January 1, 2008
Source: archive.gov.ca.gov
Became chief of appellate litigation for the San Francisco City Attorney's Office.
January 1, 2006
Source: archive.gov.ca.gov
Track record — Impartiality
Impartiality · 1 favorable
Joined Chi v. Department of Motor Vehicles, rejecting a due-process bias challenge to a DMV hearing officer.
April 7, 2026Favorable on Impartiality
Source: law.justia.com
Track record — Legal Competence
Legal Competence · 31 favorable
Authored San Francisco v. Public Employment Relations Board, holding the city's at-will attorney positions were not subject to binding interest arbitration.
June 22, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Authored People v. C.F., reversing an involuntary-medication renewal because counsel failed to secure a record needed for meaningful appellate review.
April 17, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Joined Chi v. Department of Motor Vehicles, rejecting a due-process bias challenge to a DMV hearing officer.
April 7, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Authored People v. Mendez-Torres, reversing a robbery conviction for insufficient evidence and remanding other counts for resentencing.
September 10, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Joined Michael K. v. Cho, directing dismissal of tort claims against a domestic-violence attorney under the anti-SLAPP law and litigation privilege.
July 28, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Authored People v. Miller, affirming denial of resentencing because the post-reform charging document did not rely on an invalid felony-murder theory.
July 7, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Joined United Indian Health v. Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, recognizing tribal sovereign immunity for an intertribal health provider.
June 10, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Authored Ballesteros v. Ford Motor Co., holding a nonsignatory automaker could not compel arbitration of independent warranty claims.
March 25, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Authored Baca v. Kuang, reversing an eviction judgment because the landlord accepted rent after the commercial lease ended.
January 13, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Authored Humboldt Alliance v. Coastal Commission, ordering reconsideration of whether a proposed hotel had adequate fire-protection services.
December 20, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Joined Anoke v. Twitter, affirming denial of an employee motion to compel arbitration because the statutory fee-payment deadline had not been violated.
September 18, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Joined Doe v. Department of Motor Vehicles, reversing privacy and employment-record restrictions on DMV disclosure of alcohol-impaired-driving suspensions.
June 21, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Authored W. Bradley Electric v. Mitchell Engineering, affirming refusal to vacate a dismissal after finding the client ratified counsel's unauthorized settlement actions.
February 28, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Was unanimously confirmed as an associate justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Five.
June 23, 2023Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Was appointed an associate justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Five.
February 1, 2023Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Sat by assignment on Kahn v. Price, joining an opinion affirming sanctions for bad-faith litigation tactics involving a homeowner's default notice.
July 30, 2021Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Served as a civil calendar, preliminary-hearing, trial, grand-jury, and appellate-division judge in San Mateo County.
February 26, 2018Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Founded the San Mateo County Superior Court's Community Outreach Committee and served as its first chair.
February 26, 2018Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Was appointed to the San Mateo County Superior Court, effective February 2018.
December 22, 2017Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: archive.gov.ca.gov
Served on the State Bar commission revising California's Rules of Professional Conduct.
January 1, 2017Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Helped file San Francisco's federal suit challenging the adequacy of federal natural-gas pipeline safety enforcement after the San Bruno explosion.
February 1, 2012Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: sfcityattorney.org
Supervised Santa Clara County Counsel teams for social-justice and impact litigation, health and hospitals, and probate matters.
January 1, 2012Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Became an assistant county counsel in Santa Clara County.
January 1, 2012Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: archive.gov.ca.gov
Represented San Francisco in state Supreme Court briefing supporting the federal challenge to Proposition 8.
May 1, 2011Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: sfcityattorney.org
Became chief of complex and special litigation for the San Francisco City Attorney's Office.
January 1, 2008Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: archive.gov.ca.gov
Became chief of appellate litigation for the San Francisco City Attorney's Office.
January 1, 2006Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: archive.gov.ca.gov
Was promoted to supervising staff attorney at the California Supreme Court.
January 1, 2005Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: archive.gov.ca.gov
Began serving as a judicial staff attorney at the California Supreme Court.
January 1, 1999Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: archive.gov.ca.gov
Began serving as a staff attorney at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
January 1, 1998Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: archive.gov.ca.gov
Joined Howard, Rice, Nemerovski, Canady, Falk and Rabkin as a litigation associate.
January 1, 1995Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: archive.gov.ca.gov
Clerked for U.S. District Judge Stanley A. Weigel.
January 1, 1994Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: archive.gov.ca.gov
Track record — Candidate Ethics
Candidate Ethics · 4 records
Authored W. Bradley Electric v. Mitchell Engineering, affirming refusal to vacate a dismissal after finding the client ratified counsel's unauthorized settlement actions.
February 28, 2024
Source: law.justia.com
Sat by assignment on Kahn v. Price, joining an opinion affirming sanctions for bad-faith litigation tactics involving a homeowner's default notice.
July 30, 2021
Source: law.justia.com
Founded the San Mateo County Superior Court's Community Outreach Committee and served as its first chair.
February 26, 2018
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Served on the State Bar commission revising California's Rules of Professional Conduct.
January 1, 2017
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Past race Danny Y. Chou ran in:
- Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, First District, Division Five: Shall Associate Justice DANNY Y. CHOU be elected to the office for the term provided by law? · November 3, 2026 · California · incumbent