Class of 1987
Early in her life, the Honorable Houry Sanderson was taught about the 1915 Armenian genocide, and the fate of her grandparents and their respective families. This knowledge - learning of these atrocities - paved the way for her interest in a career in law. In law, Judge Sanderson found the ability to protect those who can’t speak for themselves, and to stand for justice and truth.
Judge Sanderson’s path to law school passed through Hoover High School, and then Fresno State, where she majored in business law and minored in psychology. Shortly thereafter, she enrolled at SJCL. “It was scary, at first,” she says. “We were told to look to our right, and then our left. Two of you, they said, will not make it. It was tough love, but it worked,” she says.
In her 3rd and 4th years of law school, Judge Sanderson clerked for Tom Campagne’s law firm doing agricultural law and some immigration. Mr. Campagne had made a straight forward offer. If she passed the Bar, she could become an associate with the firm. She succeeded on both counts, and remained at the Campagne firm for nearly a year.
Next, at the Fresno County Counsel’s Office, she worked with her counterparts in the Public Defender’s and District Attorney’s Offices, practicing dependency law. She moved to the District Attorney’s Office after that, where she remained until her appointment to the bench in 2005.
Judge Sanderson says she has learned much from the everyday jury instructions that attorneys request, and judges read. She says she especially likes the instructions that advise: “…stating your opinions too strongly at the beginning, or immediately announcing how you plan to vote may interfere with an open discussion. Treat one another courteously.”
In addition to her courtroom duties, Judge Sanderson enjoys community involvement. She is an active member of the international Armenian Relief Society, and the North Fresno Rotary chapter. She is also a board member of the Ararat Armenian Cemetery. Judge Sanderson says she is proud of her two step sons, and seven grandchildren, and stays busy with their academic, sport and theatre activities. She also enjoys spending time with her father, and her sister’s family whenever she can.