Maggie Yang swears in to San Bernardino bench

San Bernardino’s newest judge, Maggie Yang, took her oath of office in Department V2 of Victorville’s Joseph B. Campbell Courthouse on Aug. 28. 

“I came to the United States from Taiwan on December 26, 1985, when I was seven years old, when I arrived at my Aunt Theresa’s house that evening. It was the first time I had seen a Christmas tree, and it was the first time that I had received Christmas presents. That little seven-year-old immigrant girl, who did not even speak English at the time, could never have imagined that one day she would be standing here before you as a superior court judge,” Yang said.

She started by thanking her mentors, including her partner. San Bernardino Superior Presiding Judge Lisa Rogan, who conducted the swearing in ceremony, was the last person Yang talked with before she submitted her judicial application. Judge John Wilkerson was her assigned mentor through the San Bernardino Judicial Mentorship Program. Judge Michael Dauber took her under his wing when they were both prosecutors in the DA’s Office.

“(Dauber) gave me so much guidance, in my murder trials, in my career and my life. He has always been there for me, and guided me. Even when this was just a thought in my head, he was always there, encouraging me,” Yang said.

She thanked her parents for working hard enough to send her to the University of California at Berkeley, and her Sociology professors for teaching how cultural and social forces shape individuals. She said she was first inspired to be a judge by Los Angeles Superior Judge Jacqueline Nguyen, for whom Yang clerked in a summer externship. She started at the San Bernardino District Attorney’s Office in 2007, where she was immediately taken under the mentorship of Michael Fermin, Michelle Lauron, Gary Roth and Dan Silverman.

Most new judges swear in at the courthouse in downtown San Bernardino, but Yang had spent 18 years in the Victorville office of the San Bernardino District Attorney’s Office, and wanted to put on her robe in the courthouse she was familiar with.

“I would not be the person I am, standing before you today, without this courtroom. Not only is this the place that taught me how to be a trial attorney, this is the place that helped me to develop risk, determination, resilience; led me on a journey of personal growth to become the kind of person I want to be, a kind, compassionate and responsible individual with integrity, who is always striving for growth and who can help make the world a better place for those who are suffering. As I take the bench and embark on this new journey, I understand the profound responsibility that comes with this role, and I am committed to upholding the rule of law with fairness, humility and compassion. Every person who enters the courtroom deserves to be heard, to be treated with dignity and respect, and to receive a fair and just outcome” Yang said.

She also thanked her partner, Aaron.

“You have never wavered. You have never left me to my own devices. You have always been there for me,” she said.

Following Yang’s speech, Rogan, who presided over the ceremony, recognized the court’s staff.

“We do have the best bench in the state of California…We have the best bench because we have the best staff,” Rogan said.

Wilkerson, Yang’s appointed mentor through the court’s judicial mentor program, joked that he immediately realized that “my assignment was to not get in the way of her being a judge.” 

“Maggie, I really think you are going to be a truly, truly wonderful judge. You have every single qualification. Everything about your demeanor and temperament, which is really about 98% of it,” Wilkerson said.

Dauber gave Yang a framed copy of one of her answers in her judicial application, and read it out loud: “‘As a judge, I would have the opportunity through my personal knowledge and my experience, both with my interactions with attorneys and with members of the public who appear before me, in adjudicating a just disposition. Ultimately, my goal as a judge is to help individuals recognize and address the root cause of the issue that ultimately led them to court.’ You also said that ‘it is to help resolve conflicts in a way that does not just compromise, but is beneficial for all parties involved in the long run. In this way, the work that I do will have a positive impact on the lives of those who appear before me as a judge, which will hopefully lead to our world becoming a different place,’” Dauber said.

Dauber also provided Yang with a framed courtroom blessing: “May the work that I do and the way that I do it bring hope, life and courage to all who I come in contact with in my courtroom today.”

About 66 people, and 17 judges, attended the ceremony.

Yang’s assignment is not yet determined.