The Hon. Stephanie E. Hulsey is a judge for the Monterey County Superior Court in California. She was elected to the bench in 2014. She filled the vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Susan Dauphine (Ret.).
Judge Hulsey graduated with her B.A. (1983) and M.M. (1985) from the Manhattan School of Music. After graduating with her master of music degree, Hulsey remained on the East Coast to pursue a career in classical music. She spent thirteen years in New York, where she performed in off-Broadway musicals and the opera. Then, Hulsey, a native of the central coast, returned to the area and ultimately decided to pursue her law degree. She went on to earn her J.D. from the Monterey College of Law in 1998.
After graduating law school, Hulsey joined the Monterey County District Attorney's Office. During her fifteen-year tenure there, she matriculated up through the ranks until she reached second in command at the D.A.'s office. In her role as assistant district attorney, Hulsey served as a supervisor for the D.A.'s Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Team, the Juvenile Team and in the Truancy Abatement Program. She was also appointed by then-district attorney Dean Flippo to serve on the Monterey County Children's Council, the Child Abuse Prevention Council, the Child Death Review Team, the Community Alliance for Safety and Peace and the Monterey County Restorative Justice Commission. She was serving as the assistant district attorney for Monterey County at the time of her election to the bench.
Some of her numerous board memberships have included serving as past-president of the Monterey County Bar Association and past-president of the Leadership Monterey Peninsula Board of Trustees. She served as chair of the Monterey College of Law Board of Trustees and as committee chair of the Mandell Gisnet Center for Conflict Management. Hulsey was also on the board of trustees for the Monterey County Rape Crisis Center and the Monterey Bay Symphony.
Some of her professional organizations have included the National District Attorneys Association, the California District Attorneys Association, the Monterey County Peace Officer's Association, the California State Bar Association, and the Monterey County Prosecutors' Association.
Hulsey received the Talcott Bates Award from the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Monterey County in 2014. She also received the 2010 Award of Excellence from the Monterey County Peace Officers' Association.
During her tenure on the bench, Judge Hulsey has presided over the Juvenile Justice Court and has served as a Grand Jury Legal Advisor.