Michael Risher, who has served as an SLS lecturer teaching constitutional litigation, was one of 18 judges appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to superior courts around California in May 2024. Prior to his appointment, Risher was affiliated with the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California since 2006, first as a staff attorney, later as a senior staff attorney and of counsel. Risher spent seven years as a deputy public defender in Alameda County before joining the ACLU.