Ami Sheth Sagel

Office sought: Superior Court of Orange County Office No. 41
Party: Nonpartisan

Prior offices and election history

2026

See also: Municipal elections in Orange County, California (2026) General election The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary. The candidate list in this election may not be complete. Nonpartisan primary Nonpartisan primary election for Superior Court of Orange County Incumbent Ami Sheth Sagel (Nonpartisan) and Charles Pell (Nonpartisan) are running in the primary for Superior Court of Orange County on June 2, 2026. Candidate Ami Sheth Sagel (Nonpartisan) Charles Pell (Nonpartisan) Incumbents are bolded and underlined . = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2026 — Endorsements

Sagel received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Sagel’s endorsements as published by their campaign, click here . To send us additional endorsements, click here . A Bluer and Better Orange County (Sway voting group by Ryan Dack) Craig Alexander’s Picks (Sway voting group by Craig Alexander’s Picks) Fullerton Observer’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by Fullerton Observer) Kathy’s Picks (Sway voting group by Kathy’s Picks) Nancy’s Picks (Sway voting group by Nancy’s Picks) New Deal Dems (Sway voting group by Hunter Dunn) Orange County Register’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by Orange County Register) The Orange County Register Editorial Board UNITE HERE Local 11’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by UNITE HERE Local 11)

Issue positions (campaign themes)

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses See also: Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Ami Sheth Sagel completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Sagel’s responses. Expand all | Collapse all Who are you? Tell us about yourself. I am an Orange County Superior Court Judges who is committed to justice and public service. I grew up in Southern California to immigrant parents who, along with mentors, instilled in me a strong work ethic, a desire to give back to our community, and a deep respect for our democratic system of government. I was appointed as a Superior Court Judge in 2023 and serve on the Family Law panel, working on cases involving children and families. Prior to my appointment, I was a solo practitioner, working primarily on parental rights cases, adoptions, guardianships and dependency matters. I also helped start a law firm in 2021 to advocate for survivors of sexual abuse. From 2009 to 2015, I served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California where I prosecuted a variety of federal crimes including sexual exploitation of minors; mail and wire fraud; narcotics distribution and production; firearms sales and manufacturing; and bank robberies. I prosecuted one of the biggest sex trafficking cases at that time. Prior to that I worked in commercial litigation as an Associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in New York from 2006 to 2009. I graduated from Claremont McKenna College and earned my law degree from the University of Chicago Law School. I am proud to be an Orange County resident, where I live with my husband, kids, and our dog . Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? Highly Qualified & Trusted to Serve The Public - I am proud to have received the highest possible rating of “Exceptionally Well Qualified” by the Orange County Bar Association’s Judiciary Committee. The Committee recently evaluated Orange County each judicial candidate’s character, temperament, professional aptitude. Also, prior to my appointment to the bench, I went through an extensive vetting process through which I was evaluated for my character, reputation, and legal expertise. Upholding the Law with Integrity - I am a sitting judge and have been serving in this role since 2023. Everyday, I serve the litigants appearing before me with competence, understanding, and a deep respect for the rule of law. Through training and experience, I have gained the skills needed to serve Orange County residents, who place their trust in judges. As a family law judge, the cases I hear involve the hardest times in someone’s life - divorce, child custody, and domestic violence. Most people come to court feeling afraid, nervous, and frustrated. This understanding shapes how I consider cases everyday. I never forgot the lasting impact of my decisions and I work hard to apply the law faithfully and to ensure parties are heard. Protecting the Public and Access to Justice - As a prosecutor, I held dangerous offenders accountable for crimes including the sexual exploitation of children, major fraud, narcotics trafficking, and illegal firearms offenses. Much of my career has been dedicated to standing up for the most vulnerable in our community targeted by criminals. I believe it is important to have a system of justice and accountability, but one that leads with fairness and empathy. In the courtroom, equal access to justice for all parties is a priority and everyday practice. This means ensuring the protections in the United States and California Constitutions. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? I see the daily impact of family trauma, the emotional turmoil of a broken marriage, and the prolonged effect of high conflict cases. As a society, there is an ongoing need for mental health services for adults and children. Also, for many in our community, it is near impossible to afford basic needs, and financial strains are exacerbated in divorces, where a one-household family is split into two. The cost of housing, childcare, and transportation are significant concerns for many families I see in court. Domestic violence cases in family court highlight the need for services to improve outcomes in families dealing with conflict at home. All members of our community should feel safe and protected, especially from their loved ones. What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign? OC Sheriff Don Barnes; OC Register; 100+ Judges/Justices; Bipartisan Leaders including Orange County Supervisors; Members of Congress; City Council Members and Mayors; Retired Marines General; Former Acting US Attorney; Court Workers; OC Labor Federation; OC Police Officers and OC Deputy Sheriffs Associations; Veterans Alliance of OC; and Various Bar Associations and OC legal community leaders. Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate’s campaign requests it. Campaign website Sagel’s campaign website stated the following: Judge Sagel was appointed to the bench in 2023 and serves on the Family Law panel, working on some of the most sensitive cases involving children and families. Prior to her appointment, she was a solo practitioner, working primarily on parental rights cases, adoptions, guardianships and dependency matters. She also helped start a law firm in 2021 to advocate for survivors of sexual abuse. From 2009 to 2015, Judge Sagel served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California where she successfully prosecuted a vari

Enrichment source: Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/Ami_Sheth_Sagel

Sources

• Ballotpedia — Orange County 2026 aggregator
• Upstream: https://ballotpedia.org/Ami_Sheth_Sagel