Full Biography for Stephen Sundvold

Judge Stephen Sundvold was appointed to the North Orange County Municipal Court (the busiest court in the county) by Governor George Deukmejian, where he has served with distinction since 1990. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Sundvold managed the litigation department of a major corporation and was an experienced and well respected trial attorney. He personally tried major civil cases in nearly every Superior Court in Southern California.

Judge Sundvold was born in Los Angeles and raised in Orange County, attended local schools and was graduated from University of San Diego School of Law, magna cum laude. He was selected as an Honor Law Graduate by the United States Department of Justice and worked in Washington D.C. writing appellate briefs before the United States Supreme Court. He also prosecuted, as a trial attorney, cases as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia.

Judge Sundvold is also a graduate of the California Judicial College, at the University of California at Berkeley, and has been an instructor at the Judicial College since 1991, preparing new judges for their judicial responsibilities. He was appointed by the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court to the California Trial Court Budget Commission, serving a three year term, which also included two years on the Budget Appeals and Evaluation Committee, which had the responsibility of reviewing court budgets of trial courts from the entire state.

Judge Sundvold has been a member of the Advisory Board of the Victim-Witness Assistance Program since 1991. He has personally raised thousands of dollars for the Victim's Emergency Fund through court ordered contributions in addition to fines and other penalties. He has been a proponent of victims' rights. In 1997, The Orange County Narcotics Police Officers Association honored him as "Judge of the Year".

Judge Sundvold is a hard working, tireless judge, dedicated to the fair dispensation of justice. He has a reputation for being a tough sentencer who is able to handle large calendars, of civil or criminal, quickly and efficiently. His reputation is well earned. He is respected and endorsed by members of both the criminal and civil bench and bar. He is committed to fairness, sensitivity and justice for all who enter his courtroom.