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Endorsement: Judge Ami Sagel for Orange County Superior Court Office No. 41

May 12, 2026

Judge Ami Sagel was appointed to the bench in 2023 and is now seeking a full-term in Orange County Superior Court Office No. 41.

Judgeships are often uncontested and indeed many rightly wonder why judges are up for election in the first place.

In any case, Judge Sagel has drawn a challenger and so it’s up to the voters to sort out who is best suited in this judgeship.

Prior to her appointment, Judge Sagel ran her own private practice after serving as an assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. For her work as a federal prosecutor she received an award from the FBI for “Exemplary Performance in the Prosecution of Crimes against Children.” Before her time as a federal prosecutor, she practiced commercial litigation in New York.

Coupled with her service as a judge, through which she now serves on the Family Law panel, it’s no surprise the Orange County Bar Association awarded Judge Sagel the highest rating possible: “Exceptionally Well Qualified.”

This rating is given to those candidates for judge who possess “qualities and attributes considered to be of remarkable or extraordinary superiority so that, without genuine doubt, such person is deemed to be fit to perform the judicial function with distinction.”

By contrast, Judge Sagel’s challenger, former federal prosecutor Charles Pell, received the lowest rating from the association, “Not Qualified.” This is given to those candidates “possessing less than the minimum qualities and attributes considered necessary to perform the judicial function adequately and satisfactorily.”

As editorial board member John Seiler noted in his column based on interviews conducted with both candidates, this race did see some early skirmishes. Most notably, Pell argued that Judge Sagel should be listed on the ballot by her full name. On the OC Superior Court website, she is listed as Ami Sheth Sagel, with Sheth being her maiden name and Sagel the name of her husband who she married in 2013. This complaint was appropriately rejected by the court.

We’ll pause here to just note that if the strongest objection to the judge is her name, there’s no case for removing her.

Indeed, the judge has served Orange County well. That’s why she boasts the broad support of Orange County judges, Sheriff Don Barnes and four of the five county supervisors.

“Throughout my career, I have stood on the shoulders of so many who have helped me learn the law, develop my craft, remember the importance of our democracy, and never lose my humanity,” she told us. “I am grateful to those who encourage me to seek appointment to the bench and to those who support me now. My mission is simple — it is to help people.”

We endorse Ami S. Sagel.

Orange County Register

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Endorsement: Judge Ami Sagel for Orange County Superior Court Office No. 41

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