The following is a press release issued by the Superior Court of California, County of Mendocino:
In a career spanning more than forty years, Judge Jeanine Nadel has announced her retirement from the Mendocino County Superior Court bench. Her retirement date will be January 1, 2024.
Judge Nadel was appointed to the bench by Governor Edmund Gerald “Jerry” Brown in June 2012 to fill the seat vacated by Judge Ronald Brown. Judge Nadel was serving as Mendocino County Counsel at the time of her appointment. Prior to this position, Nadel
served as deputy county counsel in Mendocino from 1990 to 2000, and assistant county counsel for Alameda County from 2000 to 2005. She was also a deputy public defender in the Mendocino County Public Defender’s Office in 1989 and an associate attorney at two civil litigation firms from 1982 to 1989. Judge Nadel earned a Juris Doctorate degree and a Bachelor of Science in Law degree from Western State University College of Law.
As County Counsel in Mendocino, Judge Nadel was instrumental in developing a close and effective working relationship with the court on a variety of issues arising from the separation of the court from county government, including facility agreements, transfer of county employees to court employment, retirement issues and myriad other complex administrative issues. Her early efforts to build strong intergovernmental relationships continue to benefit the court and the county today.
Judge Nadel presided over Adult Drug Court for the last six years and has been serving in a civil and probate assignment for several years. In her final years on the bench, Judge Nadel served as the Assistant Presiding Judge in 2018 through 2021 and as the Presiding Judge in 2022 through 2023. Reflecting on her time in public service, Judge Nadel said, “It has been a pleasure and rewarding experience to have worked in public service for most of my career. I look forward to pursuing new opportunities that will allow me to continue to serve the citizens of this community.”
Presiding Judge Elect Keith Faulder praised Judge Nadel’s many achievements and contributions to the public and said, “Judge Nadel has been a great colleague and mentor to the Mendocino County Court. Judge Nadel’s breadth of knowledge was not limited to legal matters. Her judicial temperament, collegiality, passion for her work, and her wit and wisdom will be missed. I believe that Judge Nadel, even in retirement, will continue to bring all her energy, talent, and skill to benefit local community organizations.”
Judge Jeanine Nadel has been a fantastic judge. She was also a very effective county counsel. She successfully defended a frivolous lawsuit against the sheriff’s office that involved several officers. The result was we would not sue the plaintiffs if they dropped their frivolous suit. Thank you Judge Nadel for all you have done for the county.