Tracie L. Brown
CA · Presiding Justice, California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division Four
Brown is presiding justice of Division Four of California's First District Court of Appeal. She joined the appellate court in 2018 after five years on the San Francisco Superior Court and previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney.
Where Tracie L. Brown stands, based on their records
Supports
Public Safety and Crime Control (8 records)
Mixed record
Civil Rights (5 support · 3 oppose)
Campaign finance information not available
Track record
Track record — Public Safety and Crime Control
Public Safety and Crime Control · 8 support
Authored People v. Cagle, affirming an extended mental-health commitment and rejecting unpreserved due-process and equal-protection claims.
January 8, 2026Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored X.K. v. M.C., ordering a new domestic-violence restraining-order hearing under the proper abuse definition and totality-of-circumstances standard.
July 24, 2025Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored People v. Sifuentes, affirming denial of murder resentencing and finding no prejudice from victim-impact statements heard before the ruling.
September 13, 2022Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored People v. Harrell, rejecting misdemeanor reclassification of repeat identity-information offenses but striking obsolete prison-term enhancements.
August 10, 2020Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Joined In re Haden, denying habeas relief because a new restriction on judicial factfinding did not apply retroactively to a final conviction.
June 5, 2020Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Presided over criminal cases, including the San Francisco Superior Court's Domestic Violence Court.
January 1, 2013Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Helped secure a successful federal trial against an online pill mill that unlawfully distributed millions of controlled-substance doses.
January 1, 2013Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Tried civil and criminal cases to verdict and argued cases before the Ninth Circuit as a federal prosecutor.
January 1, 2002Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Track record — Civil Rights
Civil Rights · 5 support · 3 oppose
Authored Carroll v. City and County of San Francisco, rejecting age-discrimination challenges to a disability-retirement-benefit formula after trial.
January 14, 2026Opposes Civil Rights
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored People v. Cagle, affirming an extended mental-health commitment and rejecting unpreserved due-process and equal-protection claims.
January 8, 2026Opposes Civil Rights
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored X.K. v. M.C., ordering a new domestic-violence restraining-order hearing under the proper abuse definition and totality-of-circumstances standard.
July 24, 2025Supports Civil Rights
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Joined Allison v. Dignity Health, affirming decertification of a nurse wage-and-hour class for lack of predominating common issues.
June 24, 2025Opposes Civil Rights
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored In re L.B., conditionally reversing termination of parental rights because agencies failed to inquire with extended family about possible Native American ancestry.
December 29, 2023Supports Civil Rights
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored People v. Harrell, rejecting misdemeanor reclassification of repeat identity-information offenses but striking obsolete prison-term enhancements.
August 10, 2020Supports Civil Rights
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored People v. Brown, ordering reduction of a receiving-stolen-property conviction to a misdemeanor because values from separate transactions could not be aggregated.
February 27, 2019Supports Civil Rights
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Represented San Francisco's Japanese American community in extensive pro bono litigation.
January 1, 2002Supports Civil Rights
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Track record — General
General · 4 records
Was unanimously confirmed and sworn in as presiding justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Four.
April 7, 2023
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Was appointed an associate justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Four.
November 1, 2018
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Was appointed to the San Francisco County Superior Court.
January 1, 2013
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Began serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California.
January 1, 2002
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Track record — Legal Competence
Legal Competence · 26 favorable
Authored Carroll v. City and County of San Francisco, rejecting age-discrimination challenges to a disability-retirement-benefit formula after trial.
January 14, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored People v. Cagle, affirming an extended mental-health commitment and rejecting unpreserved due-process and equal-protection claims.
January 8, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Joined Estate of Bodmann, affirming probate orders based on the trial court's credibility findings and application of administrator-removal standards.
November 21, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored Mass v. Regents, affirming judgment that a university retirement plan did not require retroactive benefits and that the Regents breached no fiduciary duty.
October 28, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored X.K. v. M.C., ordering a new domestic-violence restraining-order hearing under the proper abuse definition and totality-of-circumstances standard.
July 24, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored Lara v. California Insurance Company, upholding a state conservatorship after an insurer entered a major transaction without required approval.
July 23, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Joined Allison v. Dignity Health, affirming decertification of a nurse wage-and-hour class for lack of predominating common issues.
June 24, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored In re L.B., conditionally reversing termination of parental rights because agencies failed to inquire with extended family about possible Native American ancestry.
December 29, 2023Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Was unanimously confirmed and sworn in as presiding justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Four.
April 7, 2023Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Authored People v. Sifuentes, affirming denial of murder resentencing and finding no prejudice from victim-impact statements heard before the ruling.
September 13, 2022Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored People v. Harrell, rejecting misdemeanor reclassification of repeat identity-information offenses but striking obsolete prison-term enhancements.
August 10, 2020Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Joined In re Haden, denying habeas relief because a new restriction on judicial factfinding did not apply retroactively to a final conviction.
June 5, 2020Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored Cheema v. L.S. Trucking, resolving consolidated contract and wage disputes involving an independent truck subhauler.
October 7, 2019Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Authored People v. Brown, ordering reduction of a receiving-stolen-property conviction to a misdemeanor because values from separate transactions could not be aggregated.
February 27, 2019Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Was appointed an associate justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Four.
November 1, 2018Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Presided over criminal cases, including the San Francisco Superior Court's Domestic Violence Court.
January 1, 2013Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Began teaching trial advocacy at UC Berkeley School of Law.
January 1, 2013Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Helped secure a successful federal trial against an online pill mill that unlawfully distributed millions of controlled-substance doses.
January 1, 2013Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Was twice elected to the San Francisco Superior Court Executive Committee.
January 1, 2013Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Was appointed to the San Francisco County Superior Court.
January 1, 2013Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Began serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California.
January 1, 2002Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Represented San Francisco's Japanese American community in extensive pro bono litigation.
January 1, 2002Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Tried civil and criminal cases to verdict and argued cases before the Ninth Circuit as a federal prosecutor.
January 1, 2002Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Clerked for Judge M. Margaret McKeown on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
January 1, 1998Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Practiced law as an associate at Cooley.
January 1, 1997Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Practiced law as an associate at Morrison & Foerster.
January 1, 1996Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Track record — Candidate Ethics
Candidate Ethics · 2 records
Authored Lara v. California Insurance Company, upholding a state conservatorship after an insurer entered a major transaction without required approval.
July 23, 2025
Source: law.justia.com · researched September 13, 2026
Was twice elected to the San Francisco Superior Court Executive Committee.
January 1, 2013
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov · researched September 13, 2026
Retention question · November 3, 2026
Profile last researched September 12, 2026.