Commissioner Murray J. Robertson

  • Position: Superior Court Commissioner, Kern County (Mojave/Ridgecrest) – sworn in December 2022
  • Education: B.A., University of Arizona (1989); J.D., UCLA School of Law (1992)
  • Prior Experience: Early career as law clerk and research attorney in Los Angeles County courts; litigator at Haight, Brown & Bonesteel (Los Angeles); Senior Attorney, Kern County Superior Court (2017–2022); full-time temporary judge (pre-2022).
  • Appointment: Appointed by Kern Superior Court judges (Dec 2022); serves at the pleasure of the court
  • Assignments: Family law, traffic, and limited civil cases at the Mojave Branch; child support (AB 1058) commission in Ridgecrest (floater covering multiple locations).
  • Reputation: Known as a diligent, research-focused judicial officer. No public disciplinary history; active in court legal work (e.g., statewide dispute-resolution initiatives).

Education and Early Legal Career

Robertson earned his undergraduate degree (B.A.) from the University of Arizona in 1989 and his J.D. from UCLA School of Law in 1992. After law school he began his career in the Los Angeles area – serving as a law clerk and research attorney for the Los Angeles County Superior Court. He later entered private practice as a litigation attorney, including work at the Los Angeles firm Haight, Brown & Bonesteel. In this capacity he handled civil cases and appellate matters during the 1990s and 2000s.

Kern County Court Service

In 2017 Robertson joined the Kern County Superior Court’s legal staff, initially as a Senior Court Attorney. In that role he prepared legal analyses and recommendations on law-and-motion and other pending matters. He also frequently served as a temporary judge, providing coverage in nearly every division (except Juvenile and Probate). In April 2022 he was promoted to Court Attorney for calendar coverage and legal research. Later that year, the court announced his appointment as a permanent Court Commissioner. Robertson was officially sworn in as a Commissioner on December 5, 2022, and he continues to serve in that capacity.

Court Assignments and Judicial Duties

As a court commissioner, Robertson presides over cases in the outlying courts of Kern County. He is primarily assigned to the Mojave Branch, where he handles family law proceedings (divorce, custody, child support, etc.), traffic cases, and limited civil matters. He also serves as the AB 1058 Child Support Commissioner (a statewide program for child support enforcement) in the Ridgecrest Branch. In his “floater” role at Ridgecrest he may cover additional civil or family matters as needed. In each courtroom Robertson exercises the same powers as a judge in his assigned calendars, including conducting hearings, ruling on motions, and making orders in domestic relations, civil traffic, and related cases.

Notable Cases and Legal Contributions

To date Robertson has not authored any published appellate opinions as a judge or commissioner. His work has focused on routine family and civil court matters, which typically are not reported in law journals. During his time as an attorney, he appeared in appellate briefing (e.g., in 1996 he represented parties in an insurance bad-faith case before the California Court of Appeal). As a commissioner, his decisions generally concern procedural and evidentiary matters in family law and traffic proceedings. There are no widely publicized “high-profile” cases linked to him in the news; rather, he contributes to the court by overseeing day-to-day case management in his assigned calendars.

Judicial Reputation, Conduct, and Community Involvement

Colleagues describe Robertson as thorough and scholarly in his courtroom approach, drawing on his background in legal research. He has been involved in statewide judicial initiatives (for example, contributing to the California courts’ online dispute-resolution (ODR) workstream). He is a member of the California State Bar and local legal community; no disciplinary or ethics issues are on public record. There are no indications of any sanctions or complaints during his legal or judicial career. In the community, he is viewed as a professional and fair-minded jurist; any civic or bar association activities have not been widely reported.