Politics & Government

Member of Navajo Nation Appointed to Judgeship: She's the 'First Native American Judge' for Riverside County Superior Court

Sunshine S. Sykes, a member of the Navajo Nation, has been appointed to a judgeship in Riverside County Superior Court, staff for Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced Thursday.

Sykes, 39, of Riverside, is "the first Native American judge ever appointed" to the Court in Riverside County, according to court staff.

Sykes, has served as a deputy county counsel at the Riverside County Office of County Counsel since 2005, according to Brown's staff. Here's more the announcement:

She was a contract attorney at the Juvenile Defense Panel from 2003 to 2005. Sykes was a staff attorney and Equal Justice Works fellow at the California Indian Legal Services from 2001 to 2003. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Randall White. Sykes is a Democrat.

Sykes is a member of the Navajo Nation and according to the Riverside County Superior Court, she will be the first Native American judge ever appointed to the Court.

Compensation for Syke's new position is $181, 292.

For more info about Riverside County Superior Court visit www.riverside.courts.ca.gov.


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