Jurist in Residence
Professional Experience
Judge Rohanee Zapanta was appointed by California Governor Jerry Brown in December 2018. She is the Co-Chair and Co-Founder of the California Judges Association (CJA) Ethics and Wellness Workshops, addressing identity and core values for lawyers and law students. She is also Managing Editor of The Bench, the official journal of CJA, serving one of the largest judicial associations in the United States. Judge Zapanta was selected as Juris of the Year in 2019 by the Filipino-American Business Improvement and Development Board. In 2023 Judge Zapanta was named as one of the Top Women of Influence in Law by the San Diego Business Journal. Judge Zapanta received the Pamana Legacy Award by Silayan Filipina at their 2023 Anniversary Gala. She was recently named one of the Most Influential Filipina Women in the World for 2023 by the Filipina Women’s Network.
Her international work includes: American Jurisprudence Advisor with the Department of Justice to the envoy of Regional and Supreme Court Justices of the Philippines in Washington D.C. (2023), Panelist in Prague, Czech Republic on Intersectionality & Justice at the Filipina Women’s Network Global Summit (2023); Speaker at the International Women Judges Conference for Balkan Countries in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina on Secondary Trauma & Judicial Leadership (2024); Author/Presenter of her chapter published in Disrupt 5.0 entitled Identity, Law and Justice at the New Wales Parliament in Sydney, Australia (2024); Speaker on Restorative Justice for the Pacific Judicial Council in Phonpei, Micronesia (2026). Judge Zapanta currently teaches Professional Identity Formation for USD School of Law and presides over a criminal department in San Diego Superior Court Central Division.