sacbee.com – By Angela Woodall – Oakland Tribune
Oakland, Calif. — Few county judges command standing ovations before they say a word, nor do they compel hate mail from strangers halfway around the world.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Victoria Kolakowski receives both. She is the first transgender person elected as a trial judge and one of the very few elected to any office. She will be sworn in Tuesday at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. Then she will begin her assignment hearing criminal cases at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse.