Newsom appoints California’s first openly transgender judge to serve in Sacramento court
Sacramento resident Andi Mudryk has become the first openly transgender person appointed to the judicial bench in California, and she will serve in Sacramento County Superior Court.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced her appointment — and that of Carmichael resident Alexander J. Pal — to the Superior Court on Friday. Mudryk succeeds retiring Judge Benjamin G. Davidian, and Pal fills a vacancy left by the retirement of Judge Trena H. Burger-Plavan.
Like Newsom, both appointees are Democrats. The position pays $225,074.
Mudryk, 58, has lived with brittle bone disease, an inherited disorder that is characterized by fragile bones. Her legal career has focused on advocating for the rights of disabled.
Since 2020, Mudryk was chief deputy director of the California Department of Rehabilitation. She also served as chief counsel for that agency from 2018-20.
A graduate of the George Washington University Law School, Mudryk also has practiced at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, Disability Rights Advocates, Disability Rights California and the Arizona Center for Disability Law.
Pal, 39, served as chief counsel at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services from 2018 until his appointment. Pal had been at Cal OES since 2013 and held several other positions, including assistant chief counsel, senior counsel and staff counsel.
Before going into public service, Pal worked as an associate at the Law Offices of Stawicki and Maples from 2009 to 2013. He was graduated from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law.
Appointed to the Superior Court in 2009, Davidian served for 12 years before his retirement and presided over more than 150 jury trials. The Capitol City Trial Lawyers Association named Davidian judge of the year in 2017, and he earned the same honor from the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates in 2018.
Elected to the bench in 2000, Burger-Plavan worked in the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office from 1978 until 1981 when she went into private practice. As a sole practitioner, Burger-Plavan handled complex business litigation on issues such as antitrust and unfair business practices, toxic and environmental law and banking,
This story was originally published March 26, 2022 at 12:21 PM with the headline "Newsom appoints California’s first openly transgender judge to serve in Sacramento court."
