COLUSA, CA (MPG) – The investiture ceremony for Colusa County Superior Court Judge Brendan M. Farrell on Oct. 16 was a heartfelt tribute to family and faith. It also marked a new chapter in the former district attorney’s legal career and a generational change within the local court.
Farrell, 42, replaced Hon. Jeffrey A. Thompson, who retired last December but remained in service to Colusa County Superior Court. The State Bar’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation investigated, evaluated, and recommended Farrell to Gov. Gavin Newsom to be Thompson’s replacement.
Newsom appointed Farrell and 15 other Superior Court judges on Oct. 9 and is on track to have the most judicial appointments during a gubernatorial tenure in California’s recent history as the Baby Boomer generation of judges retire at a rapid pace. According to the governor’s Oct. 1 monthly vacancy report, there were 108 judicial vacancies, most of them created by the retirement of judges over the age of 65.
“What an honor to be placed in this position,” Farrell said. “I am humbled by the responsibility, I’m excited for the future, and I am ready to do the job.”
Colusa County Superior Court Judge Elizebeth Ufkes Olivera presided over the ceremony, attended by Farrell’s family, friends, colleagues, local law enforcement, Colusa County employees, and retired or recently appointed regional judges, most with long ties to Colusa County.
However, it was Farrell’s father, Hon. John P. Farrell, a retired Los Angeles County Judge Superior Court Judge, who administered the oath of office.
The elder Judge Farrell is the son of Irish immigrants. He similarly swore in his brother, Hon. Michael P. Farrell, to the Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. The younger Farrell died in 2016.
Judge Brendan Farrell was seated on the bench on the eighth anniversary of his uncle’s death. Farrell’s mother Mary and older brother Brian, also an attorney, were in attendance. Farrell’s wife Megan and 6-year-old daughter Maria stood at his side, with Megan placing her hand over his on the bible she held as he took the oath of office. The couple is expecting a second child, a son, in a few months.
Farrell is a 2009 graduate of Notre Dame Law School. He attended Iona College and the University of California in Irvine for his undergraduate degree in Philosophy.
Farrell said he came to Colusa from Los Angeles County as an unemployed young attorney in 2010, at the height of a recession, hoping to land a job in the District Attorney’s office.
“John Poyner hired me,” Farrell said. “I was one of 50 applicants. He believed in me. The DA’s office and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish were my only social life.”
Upon Poyner’s retirement in 2016, District Attorney Matthew Beauchamp appointed Farrell as his Chief Deputy District Attorney. Farrell was elected Colusa County District Attorney in 2023. He is now as well grounded in the community as he is in the courtroom. Farrell is a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Colusa and Colusa County Arts Council. He coaches Colusa High School basketball and remains a devout and active member of his church.
During last week’s ceremony, Olivera and Farrell gave a touching tribute to Thompson for his dedication and service to the court and the citizens of Colusa County for the past 16 years.
Thompson delayed vacations and projects planned at home to remain on the bench while his replacement was found, although the process took far longer than anyone expected.
Known as smart, fair, well-tempered, and prepared, Thompson mentored Olivera, who was appointed to the court in 2010 to replace Hon. John H. Tiernan.
Olivera retires in December and will be replaced by Judge Pro Tempore Luke Steidlmayer, 44, who was elected to the Colusa County Superior Court in June and will be formally sworn in on Jan. 6.
The seating of Farrell and Steidlmayer on the bench ushers in the Gen X and Millennial generations of judges in Colusa County to embody the same high standards of integrity, wisdom, and fairness as their predecessors.
Before he took the bench for his first presiding address, Farrell’s parents helped him into his black robe, the traditional attire that serves as a symbol of authority and differentiates a judge from others in a courtroom, after which his mother gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
“The kiss is optional,” quipped the elder Farrell, noting her touching deviation to the solemness of the occasion.
A reception followed the ceremony in Rocco’s Banquet Room in Colusa.