San Diego County (Vista)
Career Highlights: Retained by election to a full six-year term, San Diego County Superior Court, June 2014; appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to the San Diego County Superior Court, May 2013; deputy public defender, San Diego County; 1985-2013; deputy public defender, Los Angeles County, 1978-85; associate, Golden & Martin, San Diego, 1976-78
Law School: University of San Diego School of Law, 1976
Career Highlights: Retained by election to a full six-year term, San Diego County Superior Court, June 2014; appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to the San Diego County Superior Court, May 2013; deputy public defender, San Diego County; 1985-2013; deputy public defender, Los Angeles County, 1978-85; associate, Golden & Martin, San Diego, 1976-78
Law School: University of San Diego School of Law, 1976
By Pat Broderick
Daily Journal Staff Writer
VISTA - In high-school, Michael J. Popkins considered becoming an actor.
"Then I thought about being a trial lawyer," said Popkins, now a San Diego County Superior Court judge. "That was as close to acting that I was going to get, and it was a little more reliable."
A native of Norristown, Penn., Popkins grew up in the Philadelphia area. After graduating from Villanova University in ... (continued)
