Fresno County voters elect five judges, one race heads to November
Five judges won outright in Fresno County, but Ashley Paulson fell short of a majority and sent Judge No. 6 to November.
Fresno County voters remade much of the Superior Court bench Tuesday, electing five judges outright and leaving one race, Judge No. 6, to be settled in November after Ashley Paulson missed a majority. With all 222 precincts reporting, the county counted 101,268 ballots from 527,431 registered voters, a turnout of 19.20 percent in the June 2 primary.
The stakes reach far beyond one election night. Fresno County Superior Court judges control arraignments, plea negotiations, family-law disputes, probate matters and civil claims, the daily decisions that shape how quickly cases move and how much pressure litigants feel in the courtroom. Open judicial seats are rare in Fresno County, which is part of why this year’s six vacancies drew unusual attention and will put six new judges on the bench, including Daniel J. Brickey, the lone candidate for Seat 8, who is set to succeed David Gottlieb.
The clearest wins came in Seats 12, 14, 3, 9 and 7. Jennifer L. Smith won Seat 12 with 71 percent. Jennifer L. Hamilton took Seat 14 with 62.42 percent. Marc Kapetan captured Seat 3 with 55.95 percent. Noelle Pebet, a Fresno County Superior Court commissioner, won Seat 9 with 56.86 percent. Jeffrey Hammerschmidt finished just above the threshold in Seat 7 with 52.31 percent.
Judge No. 6 stayed alive because no candidate crossed 50 percent. Paulson led the field with 48.27 percent, Steven Ueltzen followed at 31.82 percent, and defense attorney Deidre Adams finished third with 19.64 percent. That means the race will continue into the general election, keeping a judicial contest in front of Fresno County voters through the fall.
The county’s election page described the June 2 numbers as unofficial semifinal canvass results, and state certification is scheduled for July 10 as vote-by-mail, provisional and other ballots continue to be processed. For Fresno County, the primary did more than fill vacancies. It showed how little-known judicial races can quietly redraw the courthouse, one seat at a time.
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