Judge Tara K. James

Education and Bar Admission

Tara K. James earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. Following law school, she was admitted to the State Bar of California in the mid-1990s (precise date not publicly listed), beginning her legal career in Tulare County.

Legal and Professional Experience

1994–1996: Associate at the Law Offices of Rasmussen, Howard & Libbey in Visalia, where she practiced general civil law.
1996–2003: Deputy District Attorney, Tulare County. As a prosecutor, James handled a broad range of criminal cases on behalf of the county.
2003–2015: Sole practitioner in Visalia under “Tara K. Howard, Attorney at Law.” In private practice she focused on family law (divorce and custody) and personal injury matters in Tulare County.

Appointment to the Bench

In December 2015, Governor Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown appointed Tara K. James (then known as Tara K. Howard) to the Tulare County Superior Court. She filled a newly created judgeship (converted from a court commissioner role) and was sworn into office in early 2016. Her appointment took effect in January 2016. Since then she has stood as the incumbent in subsequent judicial elections (including a 2024 retention election), continuing her service on the bench.

Judicial Assignments and Roles

James initially took the family law bench and has specialized in that area. She regularly hears family law matters, including divorce, custody and related issues. She presides in Department 8 of the Visalia courthouse, which is the Family Law department for North County cases.
Over time she has taken on administrative leadership roles. She has served as the Supervising Judge of Family Law for Tulare County, overseeing family court operations and improvements. In 2024–25 she serves as the Assistant Presiding Judge of the Tulare Superior Court, working alongside the Presiding Judge to manage the court’s administration.
Her judicial duties also include mentoring new judges and shaping court policy. She served on the court’s strategic planning committee and speaks for the court in public announcements. James continues to handle a full docket of family law cases and related proceedings in her department.

Notable Cases and Decisions

Judge James’s family court rulings have occasionally attracted attention in cross-border custody matters. For example, in late 2021 she granted a Tulare County father sole legal and physical custody of his young children, then issued orders enabling the district attorney’s child abduction unit to locate and return the children from New York City. Similarly, in 2018–2019 she handled a case involving a New Zealand father and mother; in that case she ordered the return of the child to the father’s custody, after which child welfare investigators reunited the boy with his father in New Zealand. These cases were widely reported locally as successful cooperative recoveries following Judge James’s custody orders.

On appeal, family law decisions by Judge James have been reviewed by the California Fifth District Court of Appeal. In one instance (In re Marriage of Martinez, 2021) the appellate court noted she had issued a temporary child custody order and ultimately dismissed the appeal on jurisdictional grounds. In another (Ybarra v. Holguin, 2020) the appellate court affirmed her decision denying a cousin’s petition for visitation based on lack of legal standing. While these published orders involve routine appellate review of family law rulings, they reflect her involvement in contested custody and visitation matters.

Judicial Philosophy and Courtroom Approach

Judge James is known for emphasizing that family law requires careful, knowledgeable handling. In interviews she has noted that many judges mistakenly treat family law disputes as “common sense” matters, whereas the reality is that complex statutes and sensitive family circumstances demand thorough analysis and empathy. Her background as both a prosecutor and family law attorney informs her approach: she is described as methodical and attentive to detail, ensuring that each family law case is decided based on the evidence and applicable law. Colleagues note that she works to apply consistent fairness and professionalism in her courtroom, balancing legal rigor with sensitivity to the difficult issues involved in family cases.

Professional Affiliations and Community Engagement

Judge James is active in the judicial community beyond her courtroom. She serves on the Executive Board of the California Judges Association (representing Tulare County) and has participated in statewide conferences and committees for trial judges. Locally, she has been involved in Tulare Superior Court’s strategic planning and outreach efforts, helping the court to improve public access to justice. In these roles, she works to educate the public about the legal system and to collaborate with local agencies on court initiatives. Her peers have praised her for leadership and dedication; for example, when announcing new judicial appointments, the court highlighted her support for court staff and efforts to serve families in the community.

Ethics and Disciplinary History

There are no public records or reports of judicial misconduct or disciplinary action against Judge James. She has maintained a clean professional record in her judicial career. (For reference, community legal websites and court lists report no known ethics complaints or sanctions in her case.)