California Court of Appeal · Fourth District · Division One · 2026 judicial election
William S. Dato
Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division One · California General Election · 2026-11-03
For Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division One
Shall Associate Justice WILLIAM S. DATO be elected to the office for the term provided by law?
Appears in the Fourth Appellate District: Imperial, Inyo, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego.
YES MEANS
Elect William S. Dato to the Court of Appeal for the term provided by law.
NO MEANS
Election.org plain-language rendering of the official ballot question. This is a yes-or-no judicial question, not a head-to-head race.Do not elect William S. Dato to the Court of Appeal for the term provided by law.
PERMANENT COURT DIRECTORY
Open permanent justice record →This ballot record is connected to the official 2026 judicial roster.
See the independently sourced court membership record separately from this election-specific ballot question.
Official court biography
Background and experience
William Dato joined the Fourth District Court of Appeal in February 2017 after 13 years on the San Diego Superior Court. His earlier work included private appellate practice and staff-attorney roles at the California Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.
- University of California, Los Angeles — law degree, 1980
- San Diego State University — bachelor’s degree in political science and economics, 1977
- San Diego Superior Court — 13 years, including supervising judge of the North County branch and presiding judge of its appellate division
- Certified appellate law specialist in private practice
- Appellate court staff attorney — California Supreme Court and California Court of Appeal
- Adjunct teaching — University of San Diego School of Law and California Western School of Law
Read the official biography of William Dato ↗ · California Courts · checked