Governor Gray Davis appointed Erica Yew, a native of San Jose, to the California Superior Court on October 2, 2001. She is the first Asian-American woman to serve on the Santa Clara County bench, holding this position until January 23, 2026. On February 1, 2026, she became the CEO of the American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley.

Yew is the only jurist in the history of California's judiciary to have served in several distinguished roles, including as President of the California Judges Association (CJA), Chair of the California Commission on Judicial Performance, and a member of the California Judicial Council, the California Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Ethics Opinions, and the California Access to Justice Commission. Additionally, she has been on the board of the National Center for State Courts.

Judge Yew earned her undergraduate degree with honors from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1982 and her law degree from the University of California College of Law, San Francisco, in 1985. Erica is an ALF Senior Fellow with Class XV.