The Hon. Craig B. Van Rooyen is a judge for the Superior Court of San Luis Obispo County in California. He was appointed to the bench by former Governor Jerry Brown in 2016, filling a vacancy created by the conversion of a court commissioner position.
Van Rooyen earned a B.A. in journalism from Andrews University as well as a J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. He also completed an M.F.A. from Pacific University in 2017.
He began his legal career as a deputy district attorney with the Office of the District Attorney of Riverside County in 1996.
Four years later, he left the public sector and joined Bingham McCutchen as an associate. He practiced there as a civil litigator, eventually rising to partner in 2005.
Then, in 2007, he returned to his career as a deputy district attorney, this time with the Office of the District Attorney of San Luis Obispo County.
Van Rooyen was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His interests include cycling, surfing, and writing poetry. He was a recipient of the Rattle Poetry Prize in 2014.
He is registered as a Democrat.