Profile of Hon. Rodney A. Cortez

Presiding Judge, Superior Court of San Bernardino County
Term: September 15, 2026–September 14, 2027
Membership: Advisory member appointed by Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero
Internal Committees: Executive and Planning Committee, Rules Committee

Judge Rodney A. Cortez was appointed to the Superior Court of San Bernardino County in November 2006 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and now serves as the court’s presiding judge. Previously, he served as assistant presiding judge, supervising judge of the San Bernardino Justice Center criminal division, supervising judge of the Joshua Tree courthouse, three terms on the San Bernardino court’s appellate division and was also the court’s judicial sponsor of the pretrial release program. Prior to serving on the bench, he was a prosecutor at the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.

Judge Cortez was a member of the Judicial Council’s Court Security Advisory Committee from 2019 to 2022. He is active in the San Bernardino court’s judicial committees, including serving as the chair of the Criminal Committee, Security Advisory Committee, Pretrial Release Committee, Probation Committee, and Budget Committee.

He received a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University (BYU) and a juris doctor’s degree from BYU J. Reuben Clark Law School.