Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division One: Shall Associate Justice WILLIAM S. DATO be elected to the office for the term provided by law?
What does this office do?
- Deciding what state laws and the state constitution mean
- Setting rulings that lower state courts must follow
- Deciding major criminal and civil cases
Affects: Public Safety and Crime Control, Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties, Gun Control,
William S. Dato
Nonpartisan · Incumbent · Official site
Dato has served as an associate justice in Division One of California's Fourth District Court of Appeal since 2017. He previously served for 13 years as a San Diego Superior Court judge.
Track record
Track record — General
General · 2 records
Was confirmed as an associate justice of the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division One.
February 1, 2017
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Was appointed to the San Diego County Superior Court.
January 1, 2004
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Track record — Legal Competence
Legal Competence · 31 favorable
Joined In re Moore, vacating a child-abuse murder conviction because later scientific developments showed material expert testimony was false.
September 8, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Authored Ashirwad v. Bradbury, affirming that pandemic-era payments did not create a month-to-month commercial tenancy.
January 29, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Joined McDoniel v. Kavry Management, upholding wrongful-discharge liability for firing an employee based on a compelled polygraph.
September 30, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Completed his second term on the Commission on Judicial Performance.
February 28, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: supreme.courts.ca.gov
Authored In re H.D., ordering a new Racial Justice Act hearing that could consider reliable aggregate policing data.
February 14, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Authored Sarmiento v. Superior Court, directing approval of mental-health diversion for an attempted-robbery defendant.
January 9, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Joined Marriage of D.H. and B.G., reversing a child-support ruling that used the wrong definition of full-time high-school attendance.
January 17, 2023Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Joined County of San Diego v. Commission on State Mandates, upholding denial of reimbursement for youth-offender parole laws.
January 1, 2023Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Dissented in People v. Zemek, concluding public-trial and juror-misconduct errors required a new murder trial.
January 1, 2023Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Joined 640 Tenth v. Newsom, rejecting procedural and takings challenges to pandemic business restrictions.
May 13, 2022Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Joined People v. Harden, affirming denial of a felony-murder resentencing petition based on the prior appellate ruling.
March 11, 2022Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Joined Flores v. City of San Diego, reversing summary judgment because the city had not shown compliant police-pursuit training.
January 1, 2022Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Was reappointed to the Commission on Judicial Performance for a second term.
March 1, 2021Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: cjp.ca.gov
Authored Felczer v. Apple, correcting the date from which postjudgment interest on litigation costs accrued.
January 1, 2021Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Authored In re Edgerrin J., reversing juvenile judgments for a renewed hearing on whether police lawfully detained and searched three Black teenagers.
November 20, 2020Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Joined Lief v. Superior Court, granting writ relief from a family-law discovery order.
December 6, 2018Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Was appointed by the California Supreme Court as the appellate-court member of the Commission on Judicial Performance.
April 1, 2018Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: cjp.ca.gov
Was confirmed as an associate justice of the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division One.
February 1, 2017Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Served as presiding judge of the San Diego Superior Court's appellate division.
January 1, 2014Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Served as supervising judge of the San Diego Superior Court's North County branch.
January 1, 2012Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Handled juvenile drug-court assignments on the San Diego County Superior Court.
January 1, 2009Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: cjp.ca.gov
Handled adult drug-court assignments on the San Diego County Superior Court.
January 1, 2008Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: cjp.ca.gov
Handled family-law assignments on the San Diego County Superior Court.
January 1, 2007Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: cjp.ca.gov
Handled criminal assignments on the San Diego County Superior Court.
January 1, 2006Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: cjp.ca.gov
Handled civil assignments on the San Diego County Superior Court.
January 1, 2005Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: cjp.ca.gov
Was appointed to the San Diego County Superior Court.
January 1, 2004Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Taught products liability as an adjunct professor at California Western School of Law.
January 1, 2000Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Taught appellate practice as an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego School of Law.
January 1, 1995Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Became a certified appellate law specialist in private practice.
January 1, 1990Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Worked as an appellate staff attorney for the California Court of Appeal.
January 1, 1985Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Worked as an appellate staff attorney for the California Supreme Court.
January 1, 1981Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: appellate.courts.ca.gov
Track record — Candidate Ethics
Candidate Ethics · 3 records
Completed his second term on the Commission on Judicial Performance.
February 28, 2025
Source: supreme.courts.ca.gov
Was reappointed to the Commission on Judicial Performance for a second term.
March 1, 2021
Source: cjp.ca.gov
Was appointed by the California Supreme Court as the appellate-court member of the Commission on Judicial Performance.
April 1, 2018
Source: cjp.ca.gov
Source: elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov