Hon. Joan K. Irion

Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division One (San Diego)

Current Term: September 15, 2024−September 14, 2027
Membership: Advisory member appointed by Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero
Internal Committees: Executive and Planning Committee, Rules Committee

Justice Joan K. Irion was confirmed as an associate justice of the Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division One, in September 2003, following her appointment by Governor Gray Davis. Previously, she served on the Superior Court of San Diego County, and before the bench, she worked in private practice for more than 20 years specializing in tax and business litigation.

Justice Irion devotes substantial time to civics education for youth and to the improvement of California’s courts through her work on behalf of self-represented litigants, and she frequently serves as a lecturer for judicial courses and continuing education classes for the appellate bar. She currently serves on the Judicial Council’s Appellate Advisory Committee as chair. She served as president of the California Association of Young Lawyers Association and as a member of the National Association of Women Judges Board of Directors, State Bar Board of Governors, the Judicial Nominees Evaluation Commission, and the American Bar Association House of Delegates. She is a lifetime member of the American Law Institute.

Justice Irion received an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Davis, a master’s degree in public administration from San Diego State University, and a juris doctor degree from King Hall School of Law at UC Davis. More