FBANC Congratulates Judge Renee C. Reyna
September 16, 2021
FBANC wholeheartedly congratulates Judge Renee C. Reyna on her recent appointment by Governor Newsom and historic investiture to the San Mateo County Superior Court.
Since 2019, Judge Reyna has served as a Court Commissioner in San Mateo County. From 2016 to 2019, she worked in the Criminal Central Staff of the Supreme Court of California as a Senior Attorney. From 2010 to 2016, Judge Reyna served as a Staff Attorney at the San Mateo County Superior Court. Prior to working in the courts, Judge Reyna was as an attorney at Summit Defense and the Office of Mark A. Berg. She graduated from UC Davis School of Law, where FBANC founding members Mel Santos and Bill Tamayo earned their law degrees.
Judge Reyna would like to share the following words with the FBANC community:
I am very honored that the Governor appointed me to serve as a superior court judge. I have been privileged to serve as a bench officer (serving as a court commissioner) since 2019, and I am keenly aware of my uncommon position on the bench as a woman of color – in particular a biracial woman of Mexican-American and Filipino-American descent. I know from years of working with judges and appearing before them that race and ethnicity do not make a judge fair or just, but I also recognize that a diversity of experiences and backgrounds can add great perspective to a bench. I believe that a judicial system that reflects the makeup of the community inspires greater confidence in the system and the justice it provides. I am grateful to my family (including my great-grandparents who were sent from the Philippines to Hawaii to work the sugar cane fields) who instilled in me the values of hard work, empathy, and giving back to my communities. I hope to have a long career serving the community as a judge, and I am excited to work with organizations such as FBANC to serve as a resource to those interested in the law and/or a judicial career.
As a 41-year-old bar association striving for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession, FBANC looks forward to Judge Reyna’s representation on the bench and her dedicated service as a judicial officer.
Contact FBANC President Jennifer Sta.Ana jenniferstaana@fbanc.org for more information.