The Hon. Juan Ulloa is a judge for the Imperial County Superior Court. He was elected to the bench in 1995.
Judge Ulloa graduated with his B.A. in anthropology and Mexican American studies from the University of California, Riverside in 1972. He went on to earn his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 1975. While in law school, Ulloa participated in the La Raza Law Students Associaton and was also a co-director of the Centro Legal de Santa Monica. He also served as the associate editor of the Chicano Law Review.
After graduating from law school, Ulloa began an internship with the California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. His internship there transitioned into a full-time position. Ulloa would remain there for seven years, reaching the position of directing attorney.
Then, in 1982, Ulloa entered into solo practice at his own law firm. He remained in private practice until being elected to the Superior Court. During his twelve-year tenure as a sole practitioner, Ulloa's areas of practice included civil and family law matters, as well as criminal defense and personal injury cases. He also served as court-appointed counsel for families in the dependency and delinquency courts.
During his tenure on the Superior Court, Judge Ulloa served two terms as the Presiding Judge of the Court. He was also instrumental in establishing collaboration between the local Quechan Tribe, the Tribal Court, and the Imperial County Superior Court, as well as forging a unique collaboration between the Superior Court and the Consulate of Mexico in Calexico.
His other contributions have included helping to establish the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Imperial County, the Imperial County Peer Court for non-violent, first-time minor offenders, and the Rite Track Evening Learning Center, an intervention program for high-risk offenders.
As an extension of his work with a local Native American tribe, Ulloa has served as a member of the California State Court-Tribal Court Forum.
In 2012, he received the Benjamin Aranda III Access to Justice Award from the State Bar of California, the Judicial Council, and the California Judges Association. In 2015, he received the Cesar E. Chavez Lifetime Service Award from San Diego State University.
Judge Ulloa was the seventh of ten children born to parents who were farmworkers near El Centro, California. One of his odd jobs growing up included working in the local fields at the age of twelve pulling weeds and thinning cotton, where he earned $1.25 an hour.