Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Third District: Shall DAVID B. SAPP be elected to the office for the term provided by law?
California
My vote power
Retention race
Election date
November 3, 2026 · General election
About this office
- 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, Gun Control, Women's Reproductive Rights,
David B. Sapp
Nonpartisan · Incumbent · declared · Official site
Sapp was unanimously confirmed as an associate justice of California's Third District Court of Appeal in 2026. He previously served in senior legal-affairs roles in the Governor's office and worked for the ACLU Foundation of Southern California.
Track record
Track record — General
General · 5 records
The Commission on Judicial Appointments confirmed him as an associate justice of the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento. All three commission members voted yes.
August 19, 2026
Source: newsroom.courts.ca.gov · researched September 17, 2026
Served as counsel in Reed v. State of California. That case challenged teacher layoffs that fell unevenly on inner-city schools in Los Angeles.
December 14, 2015
Source: aclusocal.org · researched September 17, 2026
Backed a settlement in Cruz v. State of California as the ACLU of Southern California's director of education advocacy. The deal made state education officials help six high schools stop placing students in classes with no real instruction.
November 5, 2015
Source: aclusocal.org · researched September 17, 2026
Served as a lawyer in Casey A. v. Gundry, a case about a juvenile detention camp. The case led to a complete overhaul of education and rehabilitation programs at Los Angeles County's largest juvenile detention center.
January 21, 2014
Source: aclusocal.org · researched September 17, 2026
Wrote a public ACLU article about a new class-action lawsuit against California over school fees. The suit asked the state to make sure districts stop charging students for classes and school activities.
September 15, 2010
Source: aclu.org · researched September 17, 2026
Sources: elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov · gov.ca.gov