Governor Newsom Appoints Two New Judges to the Santa Clara County Superior Court

SAN JOSÉ, Calif. (February 26, 2026):  The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara is pleased to announce that Gavin Newsom appointed Hon. Karen Schulz and Carl Chamberlin to serve as Judges of the Santa Clara County Superior Court on February 20, 2026.

Karen Schulz

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Karen Schulz, of San Mateo County, has served as an Immigration Judge at the U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review since 2021.

Previously, Judge Schulz was Executive Director and Managing Attorney at Step Forward Foundation from 2015 to 2021. She was also the owner of the Law Office of Karen Schulz from 2010 to 2018.

Judge Schulz earned her Juris Doctor degree from Santa Clara University School of Law.  She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Julianne Sylva.

Carl Chamberlin

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Carl Chamberlin, of San Francisco County, has served as Lead Appellate Court Attorney at the First District Court of Appeal, First Appellate District since 1999.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Chamberlin served as an Acting Assistant District Attorney at the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office in 1992. He also worked as an Associate and Of Counsel at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe from 1985 to 1999.

Mr. Chamberlin received his Juris Doctor degree from University of California College of the Law, San Francisco.  He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Drew Takaichi.

The Court welcomes Hon. Karen Schulz and Carl Chamberlin to the bench and looks forward to their service to the residents of Santa Clara County. Their diverse legal experience and longstanding commitment to public service will strengthen the Court’s mission to provide equal access to justice and fair resolution of disputes for all members of our community.