JUDICIAL: Superior Court, Office No. 15 (Non-Partisan) – 2026 Primary Election

Note: This post is “IN PROCESS” and will be periodically updated! (05/18/26)

VOTER GUIDE – QUICK LINKS TO:

MIKE MALAK ENDORSED
AMY E. VAN SICKLE

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FEDERAL CONGRESSIONAL DISTRISTS: 24th, 26th, 27th , 32nd
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COUNTY: Ventura Co. Supervisors: District 2 and District 4, Assessor, Auditor-Controller, & Tax Collector, County Clerk & Recorder, County Superintendent of Schools
JUDICIAL: Superior Court, Office No. 15

Judge of the Superior Court, Office No. 15 – Vote for (1)

HOW DOES ONE JUDGE JUDGES?

A single judge in Amarillo upended women’s health care all by himself. It’s never been clearer that every single judge matters. But how does one decide?

WHAT SIDE ARE THEY ON? We look at whether they are coming from the prosecutor or the defense world, with the thumb on the scale for the latter. Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first defense lawyer on the Supreme Court in 30 years, since Thurgood Marshall retired. The Cato Institute noted that Trump appointed over 12 times as many former prosecutors as public defenders and other defense attorneys.
Pro-prosecutor bias affects decisions limiting protections from illegal searches, eroding the constitutional right against self-incrimination (i.e., Miranda rights) as well as shielding cops from civil liability. The lack of professional diversity on the bench has also ensured that our courts can disproportionately reflect the viewpoints of the most powerful institutions and individuals in our country.
POSITIVE ENDORSEMENTS: We look for a good balance of endorsements. Some of our candidates, for example, have too heavy a concentration of law enforcement or judicial endorsement. We also scan the lists for hard-right groups or individuals. There are no coincidences.
NEGATIVE ENDORSEMENTS: Enter “OPPOSITE WORLD.” A candidate who scores well on any of these guides may be a ticking time bomb, a farm team for future Kavanaughs and Coney Barretts. (More on them at the bottom…)

Why are we having to vote on this?

(KPBS) “Every county in California has its own superior, or trial, court. In trial courts, a judge and sometimes a jury hears witnesses’ testimony and other evidence and decides cases. These judges serve six-year terms and rule in both criminal and civil cases on issues ranging from traffic violations to divorces.

The California governor appoints judges for the higher level State Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal. But voters directly decide who takes the bench in their county’s Superior Court — the judges before whom they’re most likely to appear. That also means voters can recall Superior Court judges if they fail to do their duty.”

MIKE MALAK – Lawyer

RECOMMENDATION: Yes! We’re giving him the nod this time for getting Democratic endorsements, being a defense attorney, and getting one less toxic star from the Election Forum than his competition.

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High school: Dominguez Seminary
Bachelor’s: Loyola-Marymount University, 1970
J.D.: Valley University School of Law, 1978
Profession: Attorney at Law – practice involving personal Injury, Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Libel & Slander, Corporate Law, Probate, Criminal Defense, High-tech Law, Privacy Law, European, Free Speech, Human Rights, Product Liability, Environmental Law, Planning and Land Use (Los Angeles, South San Francisco, and Downey)
Incumbent officeholder: No
Campaign website
Funding: https://public.netfile.com/pub2/AllFilingsByCandidate.aspx?id=208751032&candidate=Michael+Malak

GOOD ENDORSEMENTS:

Well, he only got 2 stars…(more stars=more conservative):

AMY E. VAN SICKLE – Superior Court Judge

RECOMMENDATION: NO! There’s something about this one that the far-right likes..

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Name: Amy E. Van Sickle
Occupation: Superior Court Judge, appointed by Newsom, President of the Ventura County Bar Association’s Family Law Section from 2021 to 2022. Adjunct Professor of Community Property at Ventura College of Law, 14 years as Minor’s Counsel
Education: –
Funding: –
Endorsements: https://www.vansickleforjudge.com
Website: https://www.vansickleforjudge.com

BAD ENDORSEMENTS

MIXED ENDORSEMENTS:

JUDICIAL ENDORSEMENTS	JUDICIAL ENDORSEMENTS	JUDICIAL ENDORSEMENTS
Hon. Diana Weiss Aizman	Hon. Paul W. Feldman	Hon. Roger L. Lund
Hon. Paul W. Baelly	Hon. Matthew P. Guasco	Hon. Matthew R. Nemerson
Hon. Mark S. Borrell	Hon. Ethel R. Hernandez	Hon. Carla Ortega
Hon. Charmaine H. Buehner	Hon. Maureen Houska	Hon. Kristi J. Peariso
Hon. Michele M. Castillo	Hon. Carol Hubner	Hon. Anthony J. Sabo
Hon. Dana K. Caudill	Hon. F. Dino Inumerable	Hon. Julia A. Snyder
Hon. Benjamin F. Coats	Hon. JoAnn Johnson	Hon. Brian L. Sottile
Hon. Kevin G. DeNoce	Hon. Dusty Kawai	Hon. Catherine M. Voelker
Hon. Marine Dermadzhyan	Hon. Michael S. Lief
Ventura County Retired Judge Jack Smiley	Ventura County Retired Judge Rocky Baio	Ventura County Retired Judge Harry Walsh

3 stars here. She pleases them more than Mike did:

A guide to the “OPPOSITE WORLD” of judicial endorsements!

Election Forum uses an “Activist vs. Constructionist” scale. (See their questionnaire below in the yellow box.)Their rating is then averaged with an estimate of their qualifications.
- Right-wing judges are “constructionists”
- Activists are those who “impose their own moral codes, political beliefs, and secular values in an effort to reshape our society and promote social engineering.” Hmmm…they don’t mention “religious values”…
Judge Voter Guide uses the same “Activist vs. Constructionist” scale as the Election Forum, but 50% of their score comes from a candidate’s response to their questionaire, a veritable right-wing minefield of questions on home schooling, the right of Christian extremists to discriminate, and where they think life begins…Their questionnaire for judges of this type is here.
Robyn Nordell’s “Judicial Recommendations“, uses both sources above and others.
Craig Huey’s list, which appears the same as the Election Forum’s.

Note: more stars is BAD! It means more rightward they perceive the candidate to be.

Candidate Endorsement Questionnaire for Judicial Races

(Election Forum test)

To: Judicial Candidate

Judgevoterguide.com is the most influential voter guide for voters, anticipating close to 1 million voters using our guide this election.

The questionnaire will help us determine:

Your rating on the site
Who we recommend on radio and TV interviews
What is said at over 40 Election Forum meetings held throughout California
Your ranking on our email campaign to voters

If you decline or refuse to respond to the questionnaire, we will note that on our website.

The questions below cover your judicial outlook. You are allowed under the law to respond to questions regarding issues (Republican Party of Minnesota v. White 536 U.S. 765 (2002)). We already have your professional biography. You may answer these questions on a separate document and attach the document to this questionnaire.

What is your name and what office are you running for?
How could the judicial system be improved? Please provide your top 2-3 ideas.
What well-known U.S. or California Supreme Court judge (living or deceased) do you most admire?
What is your opinion regarding the use of homeschooling as a choice by parents for the education of their children?
Many lawsuits have been filed against Christian bakers, florists and photographers over refusing to violate their conscience on the marriage issue. How do you view religious liberty/civil rights tension?
Do you consider yourself a strict constructionist or judicial activist? Why?
What is your judicial philosophy on constitutional matters?
What do you believe is the basis for law?
Do you believe the Constitution is a living document?
When do you believe life begins?
Have you held public office previously? If yes, please list which office(s) and the years you held that office(s).
Published writings: If you have authored any published writings (not judicial decisions), please provide applicable links/URLS.
Please describe/list any pro bono or community service activities you have engaged in.
What person(s) and/or organization(s) have endorsed your candidacy?
Please detail anything else you believe would assist us in rating you as a judicial candidate.
Do you believe in absolute truth? Why or why not? If you believe in absolute truth, what is the source of absolute truth? If you do not believe in absolute truth, how do you determine what is true?