Judge Brenda F. Harbin-Forte retired from the Superior Court of Alameda County in 2019, after serving more than 27 years as a judge.  Her judicial experience ranges from criminal and civil jury trials and hearings, drug courts, Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court, Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division of the Superior Court, and full-time settlement judge for civil and family law cases.  Her leadership positions in California’s judiciary include serving on the California Judicial Council, serving as the first African American woman Dean of the B.E. Witkin Judicial College, and serving as Chair of the Judicial Council of the California Association of Black Lawyers (CABL). She has consulted on various bench books and benchguides for judges, and has planned and taught judicial education courses in California, Nevada, New York, Fiji, Jamaica, and Panama.  She has worked tirelessly on efforts to diversify the judiciary and the bar.  

Before becoming a judge, she was an equity partner at Thelen, Marrin, Johnson & Bridges in Oakland and San Francisco, handling business litigation matters. Her bar activities include service as the first African American woman President of the Alameda County Bar Association, President of Black Women Lawyers Association of Northern California, and Chair of the State Bar of California’s Council on Access and Fairness. She received her Bachelor’s degree from U.C. Berkeley in 1976, and her law degree from U.C. Berkeley’s Law School in 1979, the same year she was admitted to the California Bar.  

Judge Harbin-Forte’s current post-retirement activities include service as the President of the Foundation for Judicial Education, Vice President of the Bernard E and Alba Witkin Charitable Foundation, Treasurer for the Judicial Council of the California Association of Black Lawyers (CABL), General Counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Oakland Branch, and Judicial Advisor North for CABL’s President. She recently completed service on the State Bar’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE Commission), which evaluates candidates seeking judicial appointment from the Governor, and the Oakland Police Commission, which oversees the Oakland Police Department to ensure that its policies, practices, and customs meet or exceed national standards of constitutional policing. 

Judge Harbin-Forte has received numerous honors and awards from many different organizations over the course of her distinguished career, including the following: Distinguished Service Award from the California Judicial Council; Lifetime Achievement, and Hall of Fame Awards from the Charles Houston Bar Association and CABL; Alba Witkin Humanitarian Award from the California Judges Association; Criminal Justice Award from the NAACP Oakland Branch; Crystal Gavel Award from the Judicial Council of CABL; Judge of the Year Award from the Alameda County Bar Association; Spirit of Excellence Award from the American Bar Association; Champion of Diversity Award from the Minority Bar Coalition; Rose Bird Memorial Award from California Women Lawyers; Woman Jurist of Distinction Award from Women Lawyers of Alameda County; and several awards recognizing her work on diversifying the judiciary and the legal profession.