Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Monterey-based attorney Elizabeth Leitzinger to replace retiring Monterey County Superior Court Judge Julie R. Culver, according to an announcement by the court on Wednesday June, 3, 2026.
“I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve on the Monterey County bench,” Leitzinger said in a statement. “I was born and raised in this community and have had the privilege of practicing here for most of my career. I look forward to serving the county as a judicial officer and working alongside the exceptional judges, court staff, and attorneys of our County.”
Leitzinger earned a JD from the University of San Francisco School of Law and served as an associate at the law firm Goldstein & Associates from 2008 to 2012 and later at Fenton & Keller beginning in 2012, where she became a shareholder in 2016.
“It is with great pride that we welcome Elizabeth Leitzinger to the Monterey County Superior Court,” Presiding Judge Rafael Vazquez said in a statement. “A lifelong member of this community, she has earned widespread respect through her distinguished career in civil litigation, marked by professionalism, sound judgment, and a steadfast commitment to fairness and the rule of law.”
Leitzinger will be sworn in as a Monterey County Superior Court judge later this summer.