The Hon. Rafael A. Sivilla-Jones is a judge for the Santa Clara County Superior Court in California. He was appointed to the bench by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 3, 2021, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Edward F. Lee.
Prior to his appointment, Sivilla-Jones was a deputy attorney general for the California Office of the Attorney General, a position to which he was named in 2001. During his tenure there, he was assigned to a specialized unit handling high technology crime investigations.
Sivilla-Jones earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1988. He then completed a J.D. at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 1991.
After graduating from law school, Sivilla-Jones began his legal career as a deputy district attorney for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. He served in that capacity until 1999, at which time he became an assistant federal public defender in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Tennessee.
His memberships have included the Santa Clara County Bar Association, the Board of La Raza Lawyers, and the Board of CASE Union.
Sivilla-Jones was a resident of Santa Clara, California, at the time of his appointment. When not presiding over legal proceedings, he enjoys reading, theater, and playing music with his wife, Jenni.
He is registered as a Democrat.