2023 Judge of the Year: Lifelong Public Servant, Hon. TROY NUNLEY

By Ryan Harrison, Sr.

reliability, and good nature. Sacramento attorney and past president of the Wiley Manuel Bar Association of Sacramento County (“WMBA”), Carmen-Nicole Cox, says about Judge Nunley, “I have always been inspired by Judge Nunley’s unabashed pride in culture, his willingness to show up for others, and his reliability as a mentor. His intelligence and temperament have made him a much-respected jurist.”

After graduating from Saint Mary’s College in 1986, Judge Nunley began his professional career as an employee of the State Bar of California. His work at the State Bar reaffirmed his lifelong desire to be an attorney, originally inspired by his mother’s work as a probation officer and the Perry Mason shows he watched with his grandmother.

He earned his juris doctor from UC Law San Francisco (formerly known as UC Hastings College of the Law) in 1990.

After becoming an attorney, Judge Nunley worked as a prosecutor for more than a decade. As a prosecutor, he sought to protect the citizens of our state through facilitating justice, fairness, and equity. He served as a deputy district attorney for the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, and deputy attorney general at the California State Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General. Additionally, Judge Nunley had his own private law practice in the Bay Area, after leaving the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.

In July 2002, Judge Nunley was appointed by the Governor to be a judge in the Sacramento County Superior Court where he sat for eleven years until, in March 2013, President Barack Obama appointed him to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, where he currently sits. In 2024, Judge Nunley will become the Eastern District’s Chief Judge.

Judge Nunley’s elevation from State Bar employee to deputy district attorney, to deputy attorney general, to Superior Court judge and then federal judge, speaks to the positive impact he has made in enhancing our system of justice, and the positive regard his colleagues have for him. His innate ability to foster confidence in the rule of law and in our judicial system derives from his personal character, his faith in God, and his commitment to the rule of law.

Notable attorney Roger Dreyer, of Dreyer, Babich, Buccola, Wood, Campora, LLP, says of Judge Nunley, “He’s a very personable guy. He’s remarkably balanced in his personality. It’s a real bonus to lawyers to have someone like him on the bench. What I would say about him is that he is a trial lawyers’ judge in that he was a trial lawyer, and he understands the demands, the pressures and the compression that goes along with that kind of work.” Dreyer appreciates that Judge Nunley “does not unnecessarily ramp up judicial pressure on lawyers; but Judge Nunley expects lawyers who appear before him to be prepared and know what they’re talking about.” “He will let you do your job.”

Judge Nunley is not just a good judicial officer. He has been mentoring, supporting, guiding, and developing attorneys for years. In addition to being a law school professor, he serves as the WMBA judicial mentor for law students attending both UC Davis School of Law and Lincoln Law School. In this role, students obtain direct access to him so they can receive encouragement and guidance as they navigate the travails of law school and the State Bar candidate process.

Judge Nunley also commits his time to speak to and mentor California Department of Justice interns, and CalEPA interns. He participated in the District Attorney’s Office Informal Diversity Talk and he is involved with UC Davis Culture Week. He also participates in the yearly Operation Protect and Defend Dialog on America Program. Judge Nunley is an annual speaker for the Sacramento County Bar Association’s (“SCBA”) Diversity Fellowship and Sacramento Legal Secretaries Association Federal Day in Court Programs. Judge Nunley also has participated as the final judge in the UC Davis School of Law Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Trial Competition.

One recent significant contribution toward law student development made by Judge Nunley will be felt for many future generations. In 2022, Judge Nunley served with me on an ad hoc committee established by the California Association of Black Lawyers purposed with securing notable recognition of California’s first black associate Supreme Court justice, Justice Wiley W. Manuel, at UC Law San Francisco. Judge Nunley’s pragmatic guidance facilitated the ad hoc committee’s work which ultimately resulted in the law school dedicating an 11,000 square foot state-of-the-art schol- arly publications center in Justice Manuel’s honor. Once this center is built to completion in 2024, law students will study jurisprudence in the Wiley W. Manuel Scholarly Publications Center in part because of Judge Nunley. The Wiley W. Manuel Scholarly Publications Center will serve as a reminder to law students at the school that the legal field is for people of all ethnic backgrounds; and that, through their commitment to hard work and rigorous academic study, they can earn their position at the highest levels of achievement in law.

Judge Nunley has encouraged attorneys and law students to achieve despite the adversity they face. Having grown up in the Hunter’s Point neighborhood of San Francisco, and having overcome his own personal adversities, Judge Nunley’s advice and example to similarly situated law students and young attorneys is credible and true. Furthermore, his experience has made him sincere. According to Dreyer, Judge Nunley “does not do well with people who try to dance and not respond directly to his questions. The best way to deal with Judge Nunley is straight up, tell him the truth, be prepared and respectful. He’s the kind of judge who makes you want to be in his court.”

Prominent civil rights attorney Justin Ward credits Judge Nunley with helping him and many other attorneys throughout the greater Sacramento area to improve in their craft through his mentorship and friendship. “He is always willing to give advice on anything that you might need help with. I know that there are many attorneys, including myself, who truly value the wisdom and knowledge we have received from Judge Nunley over the years.”

Indeed, Judge Nunley has embodied a conspicuous legal paragon to emulate as we navigate our own careers. For many of us, he is the prototype of excellence for judicial officers.

Outside of his role as a judicial officer, Judge Nunley has committed himself to selfless service in the community. He maximizes his impact through board service on many organizations. His board service includes Advisory Board Member, Paralegal Program, MTI College (2004-Present); Board of Directors, Natomas Pacific Pathways Preparatory Charter School (2010-Present); Board of Directors, St. Patrick’s Succeed Academy (2009-Present); President, St. Francis Elementary School Parent Club (2006-2010); Board of Directors, Woodland Gymnastics (20002003); President, St. Francis Elementary School Board (1999-2001); Board of Directors for Jesuit High School (2017-2023). Judge Nunley also serves on the Hate Crimes Task Force and the Catholic Diocesan Anti Racism Task Group.

Judge Nunley’s body of work is inspirational, and I speak for many attorneys who are excited to celebrate his recognition. I am proud to join Carmen-Nicole Cox who says, “I am grateful to call Judge Nunley a friend. He is beyond deserving of the SCBA Judge of the Year Award.”

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