Judge Maria Stratton

Stratton received her BA magna cum laude from the University of Southern California and her law degree from Boalt Hall School of Law. She served as a law clerk for the Honorable Harry Pregerson at both the U.S. District Court and U.S. Circuit Court. In 1981, Judge Stratton joined the Office of the Federal Public Defender in Los Angeles as a deputy federal public defender. In 1985, she joined Talcott, Lightfoot, Vandevelde, Woehrle and Sadowsky, where she practiced civil and criminal litigation until 1993 when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals appointed her Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California. In 2006 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed her to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. She currently serves on the Judicial Council’s Probate Curriculum Committee and Probate and Mental Health Advisory Committee. In 2016, Judge Stratton received the Ernestine Stahlhut Award, the highest award given by Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, for her outstanding character, dedication to service, and significant contributions to the cause of justice. She is a founding member of the Los Angeles Criminal Justice American Inn of Court.