Judge JoAnn Johnson: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

The Hon. JoAnn Johnson is a judge for the Ventura County Superior Court in California. She was appointed to the bench on November 2, 2017, by former governor Jerry Brown. She filled the vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Donald D. Coleman (Ret.).

She is registered without party preference.

Judge Johnson received her bachelor's degree from California State University, Northridge. She went on to earn her J.D. from Ventura College of Law. She also obtained a certificate in mediation from the Pepperdine University, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution.

Johnson worked for fifteen years as a retail clerk for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union before attending law school.

She then began her legal career as a sole practitioner, opening the Law Offices of JoAnn Johnson in 1993. During that time, she practiced civil law, and also handled bankruptcy and worker's compensation cases.

Then, in 2002, Johnson became the senior court attorney and subsequently the supervising family law facilitator for the Ventura Superior Court Family Law Self-Help Centers. The center seeks to provide assistance for litigants who represent themselves in court. She remained there until being selected to serve as a court commissioner for the Superior Court in 2010.

During her time as a court commissioner, Johnson presided over a calendar consisting of family law, child custody, domestic violence, and civil restraining orders. She served as a commissioner for seven years until her appointment to the bench in 2017.

She has taught the IRAC method of legal writing, family law, and community property as an adjunct professor at the Ventura College of Law.

Johnson has served as the former director of the Family Law Bar Association and also for the Family Law Facilitator's Association. She has served on several professional committees including the Domestic Violence Task Force and Elder Abuse, the Self-Represented Litigants, and the Case Management Committee.

She has received the Public Safety Award from the Knights of Columbus and was also named the Judicial Officer of the Year in 2011 by the California Child Support Directors Association for her work as a court commissioner.

After her appointment to the bench, Judge Johnson was assigned to preside over a family law calendar as well as the Appellate Division.

Johnson enjoys a variety of outdoor activities that include tending to her vegetable garden, as well as hiking, fishing, and camping with her family. She also enjoys spending time with her horses and dogs at her High Desert home.