Michele Beckwith, former acting U.S. attorney for California’s Eastern District, at her home in Davis on Sept. 30, 2025. Beckwith, who was fired after questioning a planned immigration raid in Sacramento, was appointed a Sacramento Superior Court judge Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
PAUL KITAGAKI JR.
Sacramento Bee file
Michele Beckwith, a former top federal prosecutor who was fired after questioning a planned Sacramento-area immigration raid, has been appointed a Superior Court judge, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday.
Beckwith, a Democrat, served at the U.S. Department of Justice for 15 years, rising to become first assistant U.S. attorney. She was named acting U.S. attorney after her boss and mentor, Phil Talbert, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, left following President Donald Trump’s election in 2024. Beckwith led the office while the new administration selected a replacement.
But Beckwith’s laptop and government-issued phone went dark just hours after she questioned former Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino about plans for a raid on day laborers at a south Sacramento Home Depot. The planned operation was part of a summer 2025 surge in the Trump administration’s efforts to detain and deport undocumented immigrants.
After leaving the federal government, Beckwith joined Newsom’s administration as deputy legal affairs secretary. As a judge, she will preside over cases in Sacramento County, Newsom said.
Beckwith, who earned her law degree from Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law, was one of five judicial appointees named to Sacramento Superior Court Thursday, including three who served in Newsom’s administration.
Jasmine Turner-Bond, another deputy legal affairs secretary in Newsom’s office, also was appointed to the bench. Turner-Bond previously served in a similar role under former Gov. Jerry Brown and worked as a hearing officer and staff attorney for the California Victim Compensation Board. She earned her law degree from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law.
Matthew Lee had served as a deputy legal affairs secretary in Newsom’s office since 2024. He previously spent three years as general counsel for the California Department of Cannabis Control and worked as a deputy city attorney in San Francisco. He graduated from Yale Law School, according to the governor’s announcement.
Alicia Hartley, another appointee to the Sacramento bench, has served as a court commissioner since 2022. She graduated from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law.
Heath Langle, who was elected judge in June but was not scheduled to begin his term until January, will take the bench immediately under an interim appointment, Newsom said. Langle has served as a Sacramento Superior Court commissioner and attended Lincoln Law School in Sacramento, according to State Bar of California records.
Related Stories from Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Bee
Sharon Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Sacramento Bee. She has reported and edited for news organizations across California, including the Los Angeles Times, Reuters and Cityside Journalism Initiative. She grew up in Dallas and earned her master’s degree in journalism from UC Berkeley. She has served on teams that have won three Pulitzer prizes.