Judge Andrew Y.S. Cheng

Judge Andrew Y.S. Cheng served on the San Francisco Superior Court from his appointment by Governor Jerry Brown in January 2016 until his passing in August 2025 following an illness. He received his legal education at UC Hastings College of the Law and was a resident of Piedmont, CA. His tenure spanned nearly a decade on the bench in San Francisco County. The most notable documented event from Judge Cheng's public record is his assignment to, and subsequent abrupt self-disqualification from, Elon Musk's high-profile lawsuit against OpenAI in May 2024. The disqualification was notable for its abruptness, though no public record in the provided data specifies the stated grounds for recusal. This single documented case event reflects that Judge Cheng handled matters of significant public and commercial prominence during his tenure. Because Judge Cheng passed away in August 2025, this profile is presented for historical reference only. No ruling analyses, attorney observations, or ingested content records are available in the current dataset. Any attorney seeking intelligence on matters previously assigned to Judge Cheng should consult San Francisco Superior Court reassignment records to identify the successor judicial officer now handling those cases.

Because Judge Cheng is deceased as of August 2025, no active litigation strategy is applicable for future appearances before him. Attorneys with matters that were previously assigned to Judge Cheng should immediately confirm the reassignment status of their cases through the San Francisco Superior Court clerk's office, as cases will have been redistributed to other judicial officers. For any historical research purposes — such as reviewing prior rulings, orders, or procedural history in cases Judge Cheng presided over — attorneys should pull the case dockets directly from the San Francisco Superior Court's online records system. The OpenAI matter and his self-disqualification from it represent the only documented case-specific event in the available data, and attorneys involved in that litigation or related matters should review the disqualification record directly from the court file. No ruling pattern data, preferred argument styles, or courtroom behavioral tendencies are available in the current dataset. Attorneys should not rely on this profile for tactical guidance regarding any current judicial officer.

• critical

  Confirm Case Reassignment Immediately

  Any case previously assigned to Judge Cheng must be confirmed as reassigned through the San Francisco Superior Court clerk's office. Do not assume continuity of assignment or courtroom location.

• important

  Review Docket for Prior Orders

  For matters with prior history before Judge Cheng, pull the full docket to identify any standing orders, tentative rulings, or procedural directives that may carry forward and bind the successor judge.

• Nice

  Research Disqualification Record in OpenAI Matter

  If your matter involves parties or issues overlapping with the Musk v. OpenAI litigation, review the disqualification filing from May 2024 to understand the stated basis and any implications for related proceedings.

• ›Judge Cheng is deceased as of August 2025 — confirm the identity of the successor judicial officer before any courtroom appearance.
• ›Obtain and review the local rules and individual courtroom procedures of the newly assigned judge, as practices will differ from those of Judge Cheng.
• ›Contact the San Francisco Superior Court clerk's office directly to confirm courtroom number, department, and scheduling protocols for any reassigned matter.