SILICON VALLEY, April 26, 2005
Santa Singh
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Sanjay T. Kumar, 40, as
judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court, who will have a salary
of $139,784
Sanjay Kumar has served as a commissioner since 2001 and sits
at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. He was previously a state
deputy attorney general and successfully argued for the prosecution
in defense of the murder convictions of Erik and Lyle Menendez.
He was also the state's appellate attorney in the securities-fraud
prosecution of financier Charles Keating, whose convictions
were overturned in a habeas corpus proceeding based on what
the federal courts found to be flaws in the jury instructions.
Sanjay graduated Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University
in Chicago and earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Pepperdine
University School of Law, and was admitted to the State Bar
in 1990. Before being made commissioner, he was a state criminal
appeals attorney.
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA)
said, "We are delighted to see that Governor Schwarzenegger's
recent appointments strive to reflect the diversity of California
and hope that our work together will continue to strengthen
the judiciary in this way."
The judicial panel that reviewed commissioner applications
four years ago ranked him as the No. 3 candidate among more
than 200 who applied for the post.
