New judges named to LA County bench

LOS ANGELES – Gov. Jerry Brown Friday announced the appointment of Miguel T. Espinoza and Alison Mackenzie to the Los Angeles Superior Court bench.

Espinoza, 39, of Los Angeles, has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney since 2017. He was a deputy district attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office from 2008-17 and held several positions for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2007-08, including statewide political director and deputy field director.

Espinoza was a transition aide in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office in 2005-06.

He was a senior adviser for Antonio Villaraigosa’s mayoral campaign in 2004-05  and deputy policy director for Villaraigosa’s City Council campaign in 2002-03.

Espinoza obtained a law degree from the USC School of Law, a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, and a bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Cruz. He fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Carl H. Moor to the Court of Appeal.

Mackenzie, 42, of Los Angeles, has been a partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP since 2017. She was a shareholder at Caldwell, Leslie & Proctor PC in 2017, where she was counsel in 2014-16 and an associate from 2007-13. Mackenzie served as a law clerk for the Judge Dean D. Pregerson at the U.S. District Court from 2005-06.

She obtained a law degree from Yale Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University. She fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Helen I. Bendix to the 2nd District Court of Appeal.

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