County

Judge of the Superior Court, Office No. 6

A countywide seat on the Fresno County Superior Court, the state trial court (6-year term).

Ashley S. Paulson led the June 2 primary with 47.1%. Steven R. Ueltzen took 29.5%. A third candidate finished with the remainder. Because no one reached a majority, the top two meet again on November 3. This is a nonpartisan countywide seat.

A Superior Court judge serves a six-year term on California's trial court — the court where criminal cases, family law, probate, small claims and most civil disputes are actually decided. One judge's rulings affect thousands of people a year, and judicial elections draw far less attention than the stakes warrant. Judges may be reappointed or re-elected for decades, so a six-year term is often the start of a much longer tenure.

Both candidates are prosecutors, so this is not a contest between prosecution and defense perspectives — it is a choice between two people from the same side of the courtroom. Judicial candidates are limited in what they may say about how they would rule, which is why these races feel information-poor: the ethical rules cause much of that silence, not the candidates.

Ashley S. Paulson

Ashley Paulson has practiced law for 11 years. They worked for the Fresno County District Attorney's Office from 2015 to 2025, the last five years as a senior deputy. In 2025 they moved to the Fresno City Attorney's Office, where they now serve as chief assistant city attorney.

Judicial ethics rules limit what a candidate can say about how they would rule in future cases. Paulson says they will judge each case on the totality of its facts. They also say the courts should be more open, because the public deserves to know how they work.

Paulson's main promise is more transparency at the courthouse. Beyond that, ethics rules limit what a judicial candidate may promise before taking the bench.

Steven R. Ueltzen

Steven Ueltzen has practiced law for 15 years. They worked in civil litigation at the firm McCormick Barstow before joining the Fresno County District Attorney's Office in 2015. They are now a senior deputy district attorney who leads the DUI Vertical Prosecution Unit and has prosecuted several drunken-driving homicide cases.

Judicial ethics rules limit what a candidate can say about how they would rule, so they declined to answer some sentencing questions. In December 2024 they sent local prosecutors and defense lawyers a holiday card showing them and their family making an obscene gesture. Ueltzen's opponent Ashley Paulson said the job needs judges who show good judgment, and Ueltzen said the card was meant as a light moment during serious work.

Ueltzen promises to apply the law's sentencing rules the same way in every case. Beyond that, ethics rules limit what they can say about future cases before they take the bench.

Your pick

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

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