COURT ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT OF HON. ROBERT C. FRACCHIA
Fairfield, California – The Superior Court of California, County of Solano announces the retirement of the Hon. Robert C. Fracchia after almost fifteen years on the bench, effective February 28, 2020. Judge Fracchia was appointed to a Commissioner position by the judges of the Solano Superior Court in October 2005. He was elevated to a judge position by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in July 2008. He has served as the Court’s Presiding Judge, Assistant Presiding Judge and Presiding Juvenile Judge.
Judge Fracchia earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, in Social Ecology from the University of California, (UC), Irvine, where he was invited to join the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Judge Fracchia went on to earn his Juris Doctorate from UC Davis in 1979 while earning membership in the prestigious Order of the Coif.
Following graduation from law school, Judge Fracchia served as a Solano County Deputy Public Defender for one year prior to entering private practice. He returned to the Solano County Public Defender’s Office from 1984 to 1988. He then joined the law firm of Dobbins, Weir, Thompson & Stephenson as a personal injury, criminal and civil litigation attorney. In 1997, he opened his own law practice, while also serving as a court appointed arbitrator and mediator for the Solano County Superior Court.
In 1983, Judge Fracchia joined the faculty of UC Davis School of Law as an Adjunct Trial Practice Professor, serving as adjunct faculty and visiting professor for nineteen years. He has served as an Associate Professor at the John F. Kennedy School of Law, teaching evidence. While serving as a Judge, he taught New Judge Orientation for newly appointed California Judges, served as a statewide Judicial Ethics Instructor, served as Juvenile Law Institute Faculty and taught Bench Demeanor.
Judge Fracchia is the recipient of multiple awards, including the J. Paul Coan Judicial Officer of the Year from CASA in 2010 and 2012, the Child Abuse Prevention Council Judge of the Year award in 2010, the St. Thomas More Award from the Diocese of Sacramento in 2016, the Asian Pacific American Bar Association President’s Award in 2019 and recognition by the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church for Contributions to the Youth of Solano County in 2015.
As stated by Judge Fracchia, “It has been my greatest honor to serve both as a Commissioner and Judge for the Solano County Superior Court. My time working in our juvenile division and collaborative courts has been the most rewarding aspect of my career. I am ultimately most proud of all the juveniles and parents who have demonstrated a commitment to responsibility and recovery despite the difficult circumstances that have brought them into my court. I was blessed each day to work with dedicated court staff and colleagues who consistently strive to serve Solano County with fairness and justice to all members of the public who come before our courts.”