County judicial office
2026 primary resultKern County Superior Court Judge, Office 31
Current officeholder
Brian McLaurin McNamara
Brian McLaurin McNamara is the current holder of this Kern County judicial office. Candidate profiles and the 2026 outcome are available only on the separate election page.
- Court
- Superior Court of California, County of Kern
- Electorate
- Kern County voters
- Court location
- Courthouses throughout Kern County
i
The election is countywide. Office 31 identifies this position for the 2026 election cycle and should not be read as a courtroom department.
Office overview
What voters are deciding
This profile is limited to the person currently serving in the office. People seeking or certified for the next term are covered on the election page.
Certified election status
2026 election decided at the June primary
Nonpartisan candidate election
The certified primary result determined who will serve the term beginning January 4, 2027. Candidate profiles and vote details are maintained on the separate election page.
- Full term
- 6 years
- Official note
- The elected term begins January 4, 2027. The office number is an election-cycle identifier, not a permanent courtroom department.
Current officeholder
Brian McLaurin McNamara
Brian McLaurin McNamara is the current holder of Kern County Superior Court Office 31. The county office-number record identifies the incumbent assigned to this election-cycle office, and the linked current court source verifies continuing judicial service.
- Current status
- Current Kern County Superior Court judge
- Office record
- Incumbent assigned to 2026 Office 31
- Verification
- Current status checked against the linked court source
- Election coverage
- Candidate profiles are kept on the election page
General jurisdiction
Types of matters this court hears
These categories describe the court's general jurisdiction. They do not identify a current assignment or individualized workload for one judge.
Civil
Handles contracts, injuries, property, employment, business disputes, small claims, and other civil matters.
Criminal and traffic
Handles felony, misdemeanor, infraction, and traffic proceedings arising in the county.
Family and juvenile
Handles divorce, custody, support, adoption, dependency, and juvenile justice matters.
Probate and specialized calendars
Handles estates, conservatorships, guardianships, mental-health matters, and other assigned proceedings.
Court colleagues
Other members of this court
Superior Court judges generally preside individually. These selected judicial officers help readers move among members of the same court as more pages are completed.
Presiding Judge
John W. Lua
Presiding DepartmentProfile not published yetPage plannedAssistant Presiding Judge
Christie Canales Norris
Juvenile dependencyProfile not published yetPage plannedJudge of the Superior Court
Tiffany Organ-Bowles
Master felony calendarProfile not published yetPage plannedJudge of the Superior Court
Thomas S. Clark
Civil direct calendarProfile not published yetPage plannedRoster reviewed · Kern County Superior Court judicial-officer directory ↗
Public office record
Selected public record
These dated records document the current officeholder or vacancy, office-number mapping, past cases or discipline when verified, and election administration. They are not a list of current cases or a rating.
2026 incumbent office record
Current officeholder identified in the county office-number record
The county election record maps the named incumbent to this election-cycle office.
ResultBrian McLaurin McNamara listed as incumbent
Read the office record ↗Current judicial service record
Current officeholder listed in a court or statewide judicial source
The linked court source was checked separately from the election record to avoid treating a future winner as the present officeholder.
ResultCurrent judicial service verified
Review the current roster ↗2026 election administration record
Current officeholder's office in the certified election record
Candidate profiles, vote totals, and comparative election information are maintained on the separate election page.
ResultElection record available
Read the certified election record ↗Public court records
Calendar, dockets, and opinions
Court-wide calendars and case-search tools may show scheduled public matters subject to access limits. This page does not create an active-case feed or list cases a judge is currently working on.
Kern County case information
Use the court's case-information routes to review available calendars and hearing information by case type.
Open case information ↗Kern County court records
Review public record-access options and request available register-of-actions or case-file information.
Review record access ↗Kern County local rules
Read the court's 2026 local rules governing calendars, filings, assignments, and court procedures.
Read local rules ↗Public accountability
Judicial discipline
Public accountability records from California’s Commission on Judicial Performance.
Public decisions foundNo public discipline decision located
Search: Brian McNamara, all court levels · reviewed
The CJP public decisions database returned 0 records for this exact-name search across all court levels.
Important limit: The database covers public judicial disciplinary cases since 1960. Matters without public charges or public discipline remain confidential.
News and Press Releases
Updates involving this office
Read reviewed public records and coverage involving the current officeholder or the current status of this office. Candidate coverage is kept on the election page.
Official officeholder record
Current judicial record for Brian McLaurin McNamara
Brian McLaurin McNamara is the current holder of Kern County Superior Court Office 31. The county office-number record identifies the incumbent assigned to this election-cycle office, and the linked current court source verifies continuing judicial service.
Official office record
County record maps the incumbent to Office 31
This dated source establishes the incumbent-to-office-number relationship used on the office page. It does not substitute an election winner for the current holder.
Official election update
2026 election status for Office 31
The separate election page contains candidate profiles, vote totals, and the outcome for the term beginning January 4, 2027.
Methodology and limits
Data coverage and sources
Coverage is assessed against the records expected for this judicial office page and is updated as new public information is verified.
Current assessmentFocused coverage
This page connects the current officeholder or verified vacancy with court-wide workload context, public-record tools, discipline records, and reviewed office updates. Candidate profiles remain on the election page.
- Public record
- Three dated officeholder, vacancy, case, discipline, or office-status records; not a rating or a list of current cases.
- Statistics
- Court- or division-wide context only; not an individualized workload measure.
- Discipline
- Exact-name public-decision search; confidential complaints or proceedings are not visible.
This is a focused voter reading list, not a complete case history, ideology score, individualized workload measure, or representation of confidential discipline matters.
Sources used on this page4 source organizations · 11 records
Kern County Superior Court
5 records from this source are used on the page.
Kern County Superior Court judicial officers: Current office status source for Office 31https://www.kern.courts.ca.gov/general-information/judicial-officers2026 incumbent office record: Public court, office-status, appointment, case, or accountability record Office 31https://www.kerncounty.com/home/showdocument?id=21871&t=639008877381685535Kern County case information: Use the court's case-information routes to review available calendars and hearing information by case type.https://www.kern.courts.ca.gov/Kern County court records: Review public record-access options and request available register-of-actions or case-file information.https://www.kern.courts.ca.gov/self-help/court-recordsKern County local rules: Read the court's 2026 local rules governing calendars, filings, assignments, and court procedures.https://www.kern.courts.ca.gov/system/files/general/local-rules-court-effective-january-1-2026.pdf
Kern County Elections Division
1 record from this source is used on the page.
Commission on Judicial Performance
2 records from this source are used on the page.
Exact-name public decision search: Brian McNamara, all court levelshttps://cjp.ca.gov/discipline-decisions-database-results/?wpv_view_count=106760&wpv-wpcf-last_name=McNamara&wpv-wpcf-first_name=Brian&wpv-wpcf-discipline=&wpv-wpcf-misconduct_type=&wpv-wpcf-county_appellate_district=&wpv-wpcf-court_level=&wpv-wpcf-decision_date_min=&wpv-wpcf-decision_date_min-format=m%2Fd%2FY&wpv-wpcf-decision_date_max=&wpv-wpcf-decision_date_max-format=m%2Fd%2FY&wpv_filter_submit=SubmitCJP discipline and decision search: Official database and confidentiality explanationhttps://cjp.ca.gov/discipline_and_decision_search/
Judicial Council of California
3 records from this source are used on the page.
Judicial Council 2026 Court Statistics Report, tables 4a, 7a, and 11a: Kern County Superior Court, fiscal year 2024-25https://courts.ca.gov/system/files/file/csr_2026.pdfJudicial Council 2025 Court Statistics Report, tables 4a, 7a, and 11a: Kern County Superior Court, fiscal year 2023-24https://courts.ca.gov/system/files/file/final_csr_2025.pdfJudicial Council 2024 Court Statistics Report, tables 4a, 7a, and 11a: Kern County Superior Court, fiscal year 2022-23https://courts.ca.gov/sites/default/files/courts/default/2024-12/2024-court-statistics-report.pdf
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