Stephen White at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Kentucky · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Stephen White
Judge · Kentucky Court of Appeals
Biography
Professional career
- Judge, Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1970-present
- White held the role of Presiding Judge for 2010 and 2011, managing a court of 59 judges and advocating for greater autonomy of trial courts against centralized appellate control
- overseeing the state’s prison system, and concurrently acted as Special Counsel to Governor Gray Davis from 2001 to 2003 In 2003, he was appointed to the Sacramento County Superior Court by Governor Gray Davis
- He was elected District Attorney of Sacramento County from 1989 to 1995 and later became a partner at the law firm Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard from 1995 to 1999 From 1999 to 2003, White served as Inspector General of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
- Began his career as a deputy district attorney in Sacramento County in 1974, advancing to supervising deputy district attorney by 1979
Education
- He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with highest honors from California State University, Sacramento, in 1971, and subsequently received his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Davis School of Law in 1974.
- University of Central Florida — B.A.
- Florida State University — J.D.
Additional information
- Judge White has presided over high-profile criminal matters, including preliminary hearings in the Golden State Killer case and imposing a 152-year sentence on Emilio Duran for multiple child sexual assaults in 2024.
- He then held the role of Executive Director of the California District Attorneys Association from 1979 to 1983, followed by Chief Assistant Attorney General for California from 1983 to 1989.
- He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1978, beginning his legal career shortly thereafter
- Stephen White was born on April 13, 1949, in Sacramento, California.
- He has also been active in judicial leadership, serving as a leader of the Alliance of California Judges and voicing concerns over statewide case management costs
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Remote appearances
Statewide
Kentucky Court of Justice publishes statewide instructions for using Zoom to participate in remote court proceedings.
This page provides general instructions about how to use Zoom to participate in a remote court proceeding.Kentucky Court of Justice: Remote Court General Instructions ↗
Statewide
Kentucky identifies Zoom as a platform that supports video, voice, and content sharing for desktops, mobile devices, phones, and room systems.
Zoom is a videoconferencing platform that offers video, voice and content sharing for desktops, mobile devices, phones and room systems.Kentucky Court of Justice: Remote Court General Instructions ↗
County Login Information
Statewide
Kentucky directs parties to obtain specific remote-court login information from the circuit court clerk for the county where they are scheduled to appear.
To request specific login information for your court event, contact the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in the county in which you are scheduled to appear.Kentucky Court of Justice: Remote Court General Instructions ↗
Sources
Identity source checked June 30, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
Court of Appeals of Kentucky current judicial profile
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View Court of Appeals of Kentucky current judicial profile ↗Kentucky Court of Justice: Remote Court General Instructions
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Kentucky Court of Justice: Remote Court General Instructions ↗