County Employees Appointed to Superior Court

Lisa Rodriguez

Two veteran County employees will soon take the bench. Deputy Public Defender Marian F. Gaston and Deputy District Attorney Lisa Rodriguez were appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown Friday to judgeships in the San Diego County Superior Court.

Rodriquez, of La Mesa, was sworn in Thursday by presiding Judge David Danielsen in Superior Court. She has been with the District Attorney’s Office for nearly 17 years. She’s being assigned to the East Branch, Family Protection, Superior Court, Pretrial and Disposition, and Case Issuing/Extraditions. Most recently she served as the Chief of the DA’s new Collaborative Courts Division.

Rodriquez, 44, earned her master’s degree from Chapman University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego. In addition, she’s been an adjunct professor at the USD School of Law since 2014.

The DA’s Office reports that Rodriguez is recognized statewide as the go-to expert in areas like reentry, sentencing, AB109 and Prop 47.

Marian GastonGaston, of San Diego, has served in the Office of the Primary Defender since 1996. She is a recognized expert in juvenile rehabilitation throughout the state as a former supervisor in the juvenile delinquency section for the Public Defender. She also supervised the sexually violent predator unit.

Currently, Gaston had also served as the point person in the Public Defender’s Office on Proposition 47 and AB109 issues.

Gaston, 44, earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University and her Juris Doctor degree from UC Berkeley. She will be sworn in on April 13.