Assisting Presiding Judge Ricardo R. Ocampo

Assistant Presiding Judge, Superior Court of Los Angeles County
Current Term: January 1, 2025−September 14, 2027
Membership: Voting member appointed by Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero
Internal Committees: Rules Committee, Technology Committee

Judge Ricardo R. Ocampo was appointed to the bench in 2008 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He currently serves as assistant presiding judge of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County and is the first Asian American to hold the position for this court. Judge Ocampo previously served as supervising judge of the Los Angeles court’s criminal division from 2023−2025, and as supervising judge of the South Central District from 2016−2021.

Judge Ocampo began his legal career as a research attorney for the Los Angeles Court. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Ocampo served for 13 years as a deputy district attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. As a deputy district attorney, Judge Ocampo spent his career prosecuting violent felonies in several divisions: major crimes, hardcore gang, and sex crimes and domestic violence. In 2017, he was named Judge of the Year by the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section. In 2018, the Association of Deputy District Attorneys recognized Judge Ocampo as Judge of the Year. In 2022, he was named the Philippine American Bar Association’s Jurist of the Year.

Judge Ocampo received a bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University and a juris doctor degree from Southwestern Law School.