The first Black female judge in Northern California is coming to Modesto. Here’s when, why
Modesto Junior College and Modesto Peace/Life Center will host Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell — the first Black woman to become a judge in Northern California — as its main speaker at an event on Saturday.
Cordell is the keynote speaker for the 31st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration, which will be held in MJC’s Performing Arts Center, 435 College Ave. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the program starts at 7. Also at the event, Gladys Williams will receive the Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Award.
A native of Pennsylvania, 75-year-old Cordell has lived in California for over five decades. While here, she’s racked up accolades and accomplishments that span eras of the state’s history.
Most recently, Cordell was commissioned to investigate allegations that San Mateo Sheriff Christina Corpus was having an inappropriate relationship with Victor Aellne, who was part of Corpus’ transition team and later became her chief of staff. Cordell’s report of more than 400 pages led the County Board of Supervisors to hold a vote of no confidence and create a special election to remove Corpus, which will happen in March.
Cordell is a also a commentator for several news outlets and was featured on CNN, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and NPR. She is an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump and a supporter of President Joe Biden’s decision to nominate a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court. Biden eventually upheld this promise with the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson.
“I was asked, pointedly, when I was appointed, well, how — you know, maybe you just got appointed because you’re Black,” Cordell told NPR interviewer Ari Shaprio in 2022. “And my response is, I would rather be appointed because I’m Black than not be appointed because I’m Black.”
Cordell got her law degree from Stanford University, where she was appointed assistant dean of student affairs. While there, she created a minority admissions program that made Stanford Law School the national leader in its enrollment of students of color, according to her university biography.
After then-Gov. Jerry Brown appointed her to the Municipal Court of Santa Clara County, she was the first judge in California to order convicted drunk drivers to install breath devices in their vehicles in 1987. A year later, she became the first Black judge in Santa Clara County Superior Court’s history.
Cordell retired from the bench in 2001, but her legal career continued. As a legal analyst for CBS-5, she became a regular commentator during Scott Peterson’s murder trial. In 2004, she was elected to the Santa Clara City Council, in which she served until 2008.
In 2022, Cordell released a memoir, “Her Honor: My Life on the Bench ... What Works, What’s Broken, and How to Change It.” Copies of the book “may be available” at Saturday night’s event, according to its flier.
Saturday’s event is sponsored by Modesto Junior College; Modesto Peace/Life Center; Modesto Parks, Recreation and Neighborhoods Dept.; California State University, Stanislaus; Associated Students of MJC; National Association for the NAACP; Turlock Teachers Assoc.; California Teachers Assoc.; Modesto Teachers Assoc.; Oak Crafts by Jeremiah; College Avenue Church, UCC; and Central Valley Black Chamber of Commerce.
This story was originally published February 24, 2025 at 1:32 PM.
