Jaya Badiga, a Telugu native from Vijayawada, has become the first woman from Andhra to serve as a judge in the Sacramento County Superior Court in California. She completed her education at Osmania University and obtained her Juris Doctor degree from Santa Clara University. Jaya has over a decade of legal experience in private practice and has contributed to legal education as a faculty member.
Jaya is the daughter of industrialist and former Machilipatnam MP, Badiga Ramakrishna. She served as the commissioner at Sacramento court, while in 2009 she secured the top position in the California state bar exam and worked in private practice, specializing in family law. Jaya completed her primary education in Hyderabad and obtained a BA in psychology and political science from Osmania University. Further, she pursued her Masters in International Relations and International Communications from Boston University.
Governor Gavin Newsom appointed her along with 18 other new judges including Indian-origin Raj Singh Badhesha. He is a renowned attorney who has been appointed as a judge in the Fresno County Superior Court. Since 2022, Raj has been the Chief Assistant City Attorney at Fresno City Attorney's office, having previously held roles in the CAO since 2012. Raj is the first Sikh appointee in California to wear the dastar or pagri, a traditional Sikh headdress.
