Biography

Michael M. Johnson was a judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Court in California. He retired from the bench on March 31, 2018. The Hon. Gary D. Roberts filled the vacancy created by his retirement.

Johnson was originally appointed to the Superior Court by former governor Pete Wilson in 1997.

Johnson graduated magna cum laude with his B.A. in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles. He was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honors society.

He went on to earn his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco where he graduated with honors.

Johnson started his legal career as an associate for the Los Angeles law firm McCutchen, Black, Verleger, and Shea in 1976. He was named a partner for the firm in 1984 and continued to practice there until 1990.

In 1987 Johnson was appointed by former governor George Deukmejian to serve a four-year term on the California Fair Employment and Housing Commission. Then-governor Deukmejian appointed Johnson to the commission again in 1995, where he served until his appointment to the Superior Court in 1997.

While serving on the commission, Johnson became a partner at the law firm of Baker and Hostetler in 1990. He practiced business litigation and employment law for the firm until his appointment to the bench in 1997.

During his time on the Superior Court, Johnson was appointed to serve as a justice pro tem for the 2nd District Court of Appeal in 2017.

Johnson joined ADR Services, Inc. as a neutral.

His memberships have included the California Judges Association, the Los Angeles Superior Court Judges Association, as well as his state and local Bar Associations.