Biography
Judge Yvonne E. Campos is a general jurisdiction state trial court judge in San Diego, California. She presides over a jury trial department in the central courthouse downtown. She hears criminal (felony, misdemeanor), limited civil (small claims, unlawful detainer), and conservatorship trials. Her assignments for more than twenty years include in the Central Division (downtown), South County Division (Chula Vista), Juvenile Court (neglected and abused children), and on the Appellate Division (misdemeanor criminal and limited civil appeals).
Judge Campos previously served as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of California, with both a trial and appellate practice. She conducted jury trials in the United States District Court, Southern District of California, and argued appeals before the United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Before joining the United States Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA), she worked as a transactional attorney for Morrison & Foerster (Los Angeles) and for Brobeck (San Diego). She has served as a White House Fellow in Washington, D.C. assigned to Attorney General Janet Reno, and as a Senate Fellow in Sacramento, California, assigned to Senator Gary K. Hart.
Judge Campos is a graduate of Harvard Law School (J.D.), and Stanford University (A.B. With Distinction). She is a mother of two young adults. She loves dogs, and hiking, reading, traveling, and dabbling in photography. Artificial intelligence fascinates her. California Women Lawyers honored her with the Joan Dempsey Klein Distinguished Jurist Award. Lawyers Club of San Diego honored her with its Community Service Award. She currently serves as the President of the Harvard Law School Association representing 40,000 alumni worldwide during 2024-2026.
