Two New Judges Appointed to Contra Costa Superior Court

Hanni Fakhoury and Amanda Karl join the bench in Contra Costa County

Mar. 29, 2026 at 7:24am

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Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Hanni Fakhoury and Amanda Karl to serve as judges on the Contra Costa County Superior Court. Fakhoury is a partner at a law firm specializing in white-collar criminal defense, while Karl is a partner at a firm representing consumers and employees in complex civil cases.

Why it matters

The appointments of Fakhoury and Karl to the Contra Costa Superior Court bench will help shape the judicial landscape in the county, which has seen a number of recent retirements. Their backgrounds in criminal defense and civil litigation, respectively, are expected to bring diverse perspectives to the court.

The details

Hanni Fakhoury has been a partner at Moeel Lah Fakhoury since 2021, where he works in white-collar and federal criminal defense. He previously served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender and a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Amanda Karl has been a partner at Gibbs Mura since 2022, where she represents consumers, employees, and others harmed by corporations. She has prosecuted a wide range of complex civil cases.

  • Governor Newsom announced the appointments on March 27, 2026.
  • Fakhoury and Karl will fill the vacancies created by the retirements of Judges Charles S. Treat and Charles B. Burch.

The players

Hanni Fakhoury

A partner at Moeel Lah Fakhoury, specializing in white-collar and federal criminal defense. He has previously worked as an Assistant Federal Public Defender and a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Amanda Karl

A partner at Gibbs Mura, representing consumers, employees, and others harmed by corporations. She has prosecuted a wide range of complex civil cases, including product defect, wage and hour, and data breach cases.

Gavin Newsom

The Governor of California, who announced the appointments of Fakhoury and Karl to the Contra Costa Superior Court.

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What they’re saying

“Hanni Fakhoury is an accomplished litigator who represents individuals and companies in criminal prosecutions and government and regulatory investigations. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a Northern California Super Lawyer.”

— Hanni Fakhoury, Partner, Moeel Lah Fakhoury

“Amanda Karl represents consumers, employees and others who have been harmed by corporations. She has prosecuted a wide range of complex cases, including product defect, failure-to-warn, wage and hour, data breach, sexual assault, and securities cases.”

— Amanda Karl, Partner, Gibbs Mura

What’s next

The appointments of Fakhoury and Karl to the Contra Costa Superior Court bench will take effect immediately, and they will begin hearing cases in the coming weeks.

The takeaway

The additions of Fakhoury and Karl to the Contra Costa Superior Court bench bring diverse legal backgrounds and perspectives that are expected to strengthen the court's ability to serve the community.