--- title: "Tara M. Desautels | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/tara-m-desautels" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Tara M. Desautels California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District · Associate Justice ## Profile - Court: California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District - State: California - Role: Associate Justice - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-08-16 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### audiovisual evidence Scope: statewide A party offering an electronic sound or sound-and-video recording must provide the court and opposing parties a transcript and provide opposing parties a duplicate of the recording. Evidence excerpt: the party must provide to the court and to opposing parties a transcript of the electronic recording and provide opposing parties with a duplicate of the electronic recording [California Rule 2.1040, Electronic recordings presented or offered into evidence](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/two/rule2_1040) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### remote proceedings Scope: statewide California courts should permit remote participation in covered civil proceedings, subject to the statute, local rules, and controlling orders. Evidence excerpt: courts should permit parties to appear remotely at conferences, hearings, and proceedings in civil cases consistent with Code of Civil Procedure section 367.75 [California Rule 3.672, Remote proceedings](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/three/rule3_672) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### remote participants and witnesses Scope: statewide Covered civil parties and witnesses may appear remotely, and the court may conduct proceedings in whole or in part using remote technology. Evidence excerpt: that party or witness may appear remotely and the court may conduct conferences, hearings, and proceedings, in whole or in part, through the use of remote technology [California Code of Civil Procedure section 367.75](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=367.75.&lawCode=CCP) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### recording and broadcasting Scope: statewide Court proceedings may not be photographed, recorded, or broadcast except as Rule 1.150 permits. Evidence excerpt: Except as provided in this rule, court proceedings may not be photographed, recorded, or broadcast. [California Rule 1.150, Photographing, recording, and broadcasting in court](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/one/rule1_150) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### expedited jury trial presentations Scope: statewide In expedited jury trials, parties may use slides, electronic presentations, projections, exhibit notebooks, and other methods approved at the pretrial conference. Evidence excerpt: the parties may present summaries and may use photographs, diagrams, slides, electronic presentations, overhead projections, individual notebooks of exhibits for submission to the jurors, or other innovative methods of presentation approved at the pretrial conference [California Rule 3.1551, Case presentation](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/three/rule3_1551) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### expedited jury trial pretrial agreements Scope: statewide Voluntary expedited jury trial submissions must identify party agreements concerning electronic presentations and other proposed presentation methods. Evidence excerpt: Any agreements of the parties to use photographs, diagrams, slides, electronic presentations, overhead projections, notebooks of exhibits, or other methods of presenting information to the jury [California Rule 3.1548, Pretrial submissions for voluntary expedited jury trials](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/three/rule3_1548) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### exhibit admission Scope: statewide An exhibit must be admitted by the judge before it may be used in the case. Evidence excerpt: The judge must to allow you to admit the exhibit as evidence in order for you to use it in your case. [How to introduce exhibits at a trial](https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/how-introduce-exhibits-trial) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://appellate.courts.ca.gov/district-courts/1dca/justices) - [Official roster](https://appellate.courts.ca.gov/district-courts/1dca/justices) - [Judicial Branch of California official judicial roster](https://appellate.courts.ca.gov/district-courts/1dca/justices) - [California Rule 2.1040, Electronic recordings presented or offered into evidence](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/two/rule2_1040) - [California Rule 3.672, Remote proceedings](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/three/rule3_672) - [California Code of Civil Procedure section 367.75](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=367.75.&lawCode=CCP) - [California Rule 1.150, Photographing, recording, and broadcasting in court](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/one/rule1_150) - [California Rule 3.1551, Case presentation](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/three/rule3_1551) - [California Rule 3.1548, Pretrial submissions for voluntary expedited jury trials](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/three/rule3_1548) - [How to introduce exhibits at a trial](https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/how-introduce-exhibits-trial) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/tara-m-desautels", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/tara-m-desautels", "name": "Tara M. 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Stewart, and confirmed by the California Commission on Judicial Appointments on May 14, 2024 - Associate Justice of the California First District Court of Appeal, Division Two, appointed in March 2024 after a 14‐year tenure as a judge on the Alameda County Superior Court - Senior Associate, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP (2005–2010): Handled state/federal litigation, corporate investigations, white‐collar defense, antitrust, and unfair competition cases - Deputy District Attorney, Alameda County (1997–2005): Worked on the Child Sexual Assault Team and as liaison to California’s Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Task Force ### Education - in International Relations, Law, and Organization — Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, First Honors — B.S. - J.D. — University of California, Hastings College of the Law (now UC School of Law, San Francisco), where she was Executive Editor of the Hastings Law Journal and earned American Jurisprudence Awards in Contracts and Trial Advocacy ### Additional information - Alameda County Superior Court (2010–2024): Appointed in 2010 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, she presided over family, criminal, juvenile, and civil divisions, and held supervisory roles including assistant presiding judge and presiding judge - Specialized assignments: Oversaw Girls Court for at‐risk and commercially sexually exploited girls, and served on multiple judicial committees - She is active in community service, including roles with CALICO (Child Abuse, Listening, Interviewing, and Coordination Center) and as a board member/chair of the Alameda County Bar Association ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [California Rule 1.150, Photographing, recording, and broadcasting in court](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-e59897426ff892cfcd8e0103) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/one/rule1_150). Collected 2026-07-26.