Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the appointment of Thadd A. Blizzard, Ben G. Davidian, Geoffrey A. Goodman and Louis R. Mauro to judgeships with the Sacramento County Superior Court.
Blizzard, 54, of Sacramento, has served as a shareholder and previously was an associate for Weintraub, Genshlea, Chediak since 1987. Prior to that, he was an associate for Greenberg Cantor & Reiss from 1986 to 1987 and was with the Law Offices of Stuart Jackson from 1983 to 1986 and Grant, Hermann & Schwartz from 1980 to 1982. From 1978 to 1979, Blizzard was a judicial staff attorney for the California First District Court of Appeal. He earned a Master of Philosophy degree from Columbia University, a Master of Laws degree from New York University, a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, a Master of Arts degree from Claremont Graduate School, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Claremont Men’s College. Blizzard fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Gail Ohanesian. Blizzard is a Democrat.
Davidian, 57, of Gold River, has been a sole practitioner since 2005. He was a partner at Sweeney, Davidian & Greene from 2004 to 2005 and Bell, McAndrews, Hiltachk & Davidian from 1999 to 2004. From 1995 to 2000, he was of counsel for Wilke, Fleury, Hoffelt, Gould & Birney and, from 1980 to 1987, Davidian was an associate, then partner for Wilke, Fleury, Hoffelt, Gould & Birney. He was an associate for Bronson, Bronson & McKinnon from 1980 to 1981. Davidian earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Utah. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Gerald Bakarich. Davidian is a Republican. Ben Davidian has served as a sole practitioner since 2005.
Goodman, 57, of Sacramento, has served as a partner for Nossaman since 2008 and for Murphy Austin Adams Shoenfeld from 1999 to 2008. In 1998, he was partner at Diepenbrock Wulff Plant & Hannigan and, from 1992 to 1998, he was a supervising assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California. Goodman was a deputy attorney general, then a senior assistant attorney general for the California Attorney General’s Office from 1984 to 1991, staff counsel for the Committee on Criminal Justice for the California State Assembly from 1981 to 1984, and a deputy district attorney for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office from 1977 to 1981. He earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California. Goodman fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Patricia Esgro. Goodman is a Democrat.
Mauro, 48, of Carmichael, has served as the chief deputy legal affairs secretary for the Office of Legal Affairs for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger since 2006. He worked for the California Attorney General’s Office from 1994 to 2006 where he served as a senior assistant attorney general, supervising deputy attorney general and deputy attorney general. Mauro was an associate for Boutin Gibson Law Firm from 1993 to 1994 and for Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher from 1988 to 1993. From 1987 to 1988, he was a staff attorney for the California Supreme Court. Mauro earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Mauro fills the vacancy created by the conversion of a court commissioner position on October 1, 2008. Mauro is a Democrat.
The compensation for each position is $178,789.
