San Mateo Superior Court Bench elects new presiding judges

San Mateo County is welcoming two familiar faces to the Superior Court’s top positions.

Rachel Holt will be the county’s new presiding judge and Jeffrey Finigan will serve as the assistant presiding judge. Their two-year terms will begin on Jan. 1. Holt is currently the assistant judge, while Finigan serves as a trial judge.

The presiding judge is responsible for managing the court’s overall operations including judicial assignments and calendar coordination. Elections are held every two years to determine who will hold the position. The judges of the court vote internally to decide who will fill the role, with the assistant presiding judge typically selected to do so.

Holt was appointed as a commissioner of the San Mateo County Superior Court in December 2014 and was appointed to the bench in April 2020. From 2020 to 2023, she served as a family law judge and served as family law supervising judge from 2023 to 2024.

Holt spent more than 15 years practicing law in the county, began her legal career at the county’s District Attorney’s Office, serving as a deputy district attorney from 1998 to 2002.

From 2003 to 2014, Holt served with the San Mateo County Private Defender Program. During that time, she was also a partner at Carr, Yeley and Associates.

“Judge Holt has demonstrated throughout her career a strong commitment to justice and to serving the people of San Mateo County,” Presiding Judge Stephanie Garratt said in a news release. “Her experience, thoughtful leadership and dedication to the court will serve her well as presiding judge. I am very pleased to see her take on this important role and know she will do an excellent job.”

Finigan was appointed to the bench in July 2015, and currently serves as a trial judge. He served as criminal presiding judge in 2018 and criminal supervising judge in 2023.

Before taking the bench, Finigan served as a deputy district attorney in San Mateo County, a civil litigator in private practice and an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California.

“Judge Finigan brings extensive legal and judicial experience, thoughtful leadership, and a strong commitment to serving our court and community,” Garratt said. “I am confident he will do an excellent job as Assistant Presiding Judge.”