Tips from the Bench: Hon. Eugenia Eyherabide

Growing up in Bakersfield, California, Judge Eugenia Eyherabide’s interest in the law was sparked during her time working at the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office between finishing her undergraduate career and starting law school. During her work breaks, she would watch cases unfold in the courtroom. It was then that she knew she wanted to become an attorney.

Judge Eyherabide attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. After taking a year off to work at the DA’s Office, she went on to attend Santa Clara University School of Law. She fondly recalls her time in law school, particularly enjoying her constitutional law and criminal law courses.

Judge Eyherabide began working in the DA’s Office as a licensed attorney in 1987, where she worked in the child abuse department, known now as the family protection division. This experience profoundly influenced her career path. Judge Eyherabide’s early legal career was also significantly shaped by her first supervisor, the now-retired Judge Harry M. Elias. “Retired Judge Harry Elias taught me how to be a lawyer and a great judge,” she said.

From 1992 to 1995, Judge Eyherabide served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C. She then returned to the DA’s Office in San Diego, where she served as a deputy district attorney from 1995 to 2006. After nearly 20 years of appearing in front of judges as a prosecutor, Judge Eyherabide decided she wanted to become a judge herself. Judge Eyherabide applied for judicial appointment and then received a call from John Davies, who conducted interviews for former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Judge Eyherabide recalls that the interview felt more like a conversation to understand her personality. Letting out a chuckle, she mentioned that Mr. Davies told her he knew everything there was to know about her before she even stepped in for the interview. The interview was meant for Mr. Davies to get a sense of Judge Eyherabide’s personality and see if she would be a good fit for a judge. Shortly thereafter, Governor Schwarzenegger appointed Judge Eyherabide to the bench in 2006.

Judge Eyherabide reflected on her time as a judge in the San Diego County Superior Court’s family law department and how her experience there helped her gain more empathy and understanding for people going through the court system. She recalled handling 20 cases in the morning with only about 20 minutes to hear and rule on each case. She remembers telling parents who were in her courtroom that she only had a short time to hear and rule on their cases and that she would count on them to have their “decisions be the decision[s] of [both] the court and the judge, who is a stranger.” Judge Eyherabide noted that the parents appearing before her would know what would be best for their families. Despite facing difficult decisions, Judge Eyherabide feels grateful for each learning experience she had early on in her career. “I do not see any of the difficulties I have faced as challenges,” she said. “I like to think of them as steppingstones to becoming a better judge.”

Reflecting on her career, Judge Eyherabide notes that if she were to speak to herself as a new lawyer, she would tell herself: “Don’t be afraid. Don’t think you can’t do it because you can.” This is the advice she now gives to those just starting their careers.

For law students aspiring to a career in the judiciary, Judge Eyherabide advises finding an area of law they are passionate about and building a reputation within that field. “There are so many different areas of law; find your area of passion and find work in that,” she said. “Your reputation is the biggest key in this profession. If you are doing something you love every day and you’re great at it, your reputation will be known amongst the local law community.”

Judge Eyherabide has immense gratitude for her role as a judge and acknowledges that it is a great privilege. “I am blessed to be a judge,” she said. “This is the best job in the whole world.”
Outside the courtroom, Judge Eyherabide enjoys walking with her courthouse walking group during lunch breaks, skiing in Mammoth, playing pickleball, and running. She even completed a half marathon in 2015.