MENDOCINO CO., 10/30/25 – Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Clayton Brennan will retire Friday, the court announced.
Before joining the bench, Brennan worked in private practice and as a deputy district attorney. He earned his law degree in 1990 from the University of California, San Diego.
During his career, Brennan presided over a variety of criminal, civil, family law and probate cases, as well as the county’s Behavioral Health Court. He served at the Willits courthouse until it closed in 2010. He was then assigned to the Fort Bragg court.
“I’ve enjoyed my career and feel very privileged to have worked with so many talented and dedicated people,” Brennan said. “We have a difficult and stressful job, but it’s also interesting and rewarding.”
Brennan is the third county judge to retire from the Mendocino County bench in recent years. In 2024, Judges Jeannie Nadel and Cindee Mayfield also retired. Gov. Gavin Newsom later appointed FredRicco McCurry and Charlotte Scott to fill those vacancies.
I hope Mendocino County uses this moment to reflect on what justice truly means.
Too often, the people who most need the court’s protection are left unprotected — and when that happens, public trust in the law erodes.
Perhaps our new judge will be reminded of this; perhaps we should collectively remind them of it:
“A judge shall act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary, and shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety.”
— Rule 1.2, American Bar Association Model Code of Judicial Conduct