Hon. Dena M. Coggins is a judge for the Sacramento County Superior Court in California. She was appointed to the bench by Governor Gavin Newsom in March 2021 to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. David W. Abbott (Ret.).
Coggins has presided over dependency matters in Sacramento County since assuming the bench.
Prior to joining the judiciary, she was an administrative law judge at the Office of Administrative Hearings, a position she held since 2018. Coggins previously served in that position from 2015 to 2017.
Her legal career also included working as a supervising attorney and hearing officer at the California Victim Compensation Board (2017 to 2018), a deputy legal affairs secretary in the Office of the Governor for former Governor Ed Brown (2013 to 2015), and an associate at Downey Brand LLP (2012 to 2013) and Morrison & Foerster LLP (2007 to 2012).
Coggins received a B.S. from California State University, Sacramento. She went on to complete a J.D. at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 2007.
Coggins is registered as a Democrat.
At the time of her appointment, she resided in Sacramento.