Beth A. R. McGowen
ADMITTED:
McGowen, Beth Ann Judge 148747 San Jose December 1990
Superior Court of Santa Clara County
Tenure
2009 – Present
Term ends
2029
Years in position
15
Elections and appointments
Last elected
June 7, 2022
Appointed
2009
Education
Bachelor’s
Brigham Young University
Law
University of California, Hastings College of the Law
Judge Beth A.R. McGowen is a judge of the Superior Court of Santa Clara
County in California. She assumed office in 2009. Her current term
ends on January 8, 2029.
Judge Beth A.R. McGowen won re-election for judge of the Superior Court of Santa Clara
County in California outright in the primary on June 7, 2022, after
the primary and general elections were canceled
Judge Beth A.R. McGowen was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in January
2009 to succeed C. Randall Schneider
Biography
The Judge Beth A. R. McGowen is a Superior Court of Santa Clara County Judge in California. Appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009, replacing Judge C. Randall Schneider.
Judge Beth McGowen received a B.A. from Brigham Young University and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law 1990.
Her legal career started with McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen in 1990. She began as a litigator associate, then advanced to a partner. 2002, she joined Bingham McCutchen as a partner. She handled intellectual property, healthcare, general commercial, plus trade secret cases for clients such as Sun Microsystems and Stanford University.
She is on the Board of Directors of the Silicon Valley Law Foundation also served on the Women Lawyers Committee of the Santa Clara County Bar Association.
Judge Beth McGowen is a Republican.
Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara
Announces Presiding Judge and Assistant Presiding
Judge for 2023-2024
SAN JOSÉ, CA (September 30, 2022): Today the Judges of the Superior Court of California,
County of Santa Clara held their biennial election in accordance with internal policy to select a
Presiding Judge and Assistant Presiding Judge.
Judge Beth McGowen was elected Presiding Judge and Honorable Julie A. Emede Assistant
Presiding Judge of the Santa Clara Superior Court. Judge McGowen and Judge Emede will begin
their two-year terms on January 1, 2023.
Judge McGowen is the current Assistant Presiding Judge and will relieve Honorable Theodore C.
Zayner upon the completion of his two-year term as Presiding Judge on December 31, 2022.
“I am excited about the future of our court and community as we continue to move forward beyond
the pandemic, under the leadership of Judges McGowen and Emede,” shared current Presiding
Judge Zayner. “We are truly honored to be led by these two experienced and accomplished
judicial leaders.”
The Presiding Judge upholds the authority and duties prescribed in the California Rules of Court.
The Assistant Presiding Judge is assigned duties as the Presiding Judge deems necessary and acts
as the Presiding Judge in their absence.
Beth McGowen – Presiding Judge-Elect
Judge McGowen was appointed to the Bench in 2009. Her judicial career has included assignments in
Criminal, Juvenile Justice, Domestic Violence, Civil, Appellate and as an all-purpose Family Court Judge.
She is currently the Assistant Presiding Judge, after serving as the Supervising Judge of the Civil Division.
She served on the South County Mayor’s Gang Task Force and several Court Committees, including the
Strategic Planning Committee, the Domestic Violence Committee, the Education Committee, and Chair of
the Court’s Personnel Committee. She currently sits on the Judicial Council’s Advisory Committee for
Civil and Small Claims matters. Judge Beth McGowen began her legal career at McCutchen, Doyle, Brown
& Enersen as an associate and later became a partner. She is a past member of the Board of Directors for
the Silicon Valley Law Foundation and past president of the Santa Clara County Bar Association’s Women
Lawyers Committee. She received her juris doctor from the University of California – Hastings College of
the Law
Recent Rulings by Judge Beth A. R. McGowen
VICTIMS:
