Judge Stephanie Story

Judge Stephanie Story was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court by Governor Gavin Newsom on November 21, 2024, making her one of the newer members of the bench at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. Her appointment is recent, and no ruling history or attorney observations are available in the current dataset to establish documented patterns in her judicial decision-making. The most substantive public information about Judge Story concerns her personal journey to the bench: she passed the California bar exam on her sixth attempt. This experience was the subject of a December 2025 Daily Journal article, which reported that this history of persistence shapes her judicial approach and philosophy. This is a documented, reported fact — not inference — and represents the primary lens through which her judicial identity has been publicly framed. Because Judge Story was appointed in late 2024, attorneys should treat her as a judge with a limited public record of rulings and courtroom patterns. The absence of ruling data, attorney observations, and ingested content means that strategic guidance must be grounded in the limited biographical and philosophical information available. Attorneys appearing before her should prioritize direct preparation and avoid assumptions based on other judges at the same courthouse.

Given the absence of ruling data, attorneys cannot rely on established patterns to calibrate their arguments. What is documented is that Judge Story's judicial philosophy has been publicly linked to her experience of perseverance — specifically, passing the bar on her sixth attempt. The Daily Journal reported this experience informs her work on the bench. Attorneys who demonstrate genuine effort, thorough preparation, and persistence in their advocacy are engaging with the values she has publicly identified as central to her judicial identity. Because Judge Story is a newly appointed judge as of late 2024, attorneys should not assume she will follow informal courthouse norms or unwritten practices associated with more tenured judges. Procedural compliance, clear briefing, and respectful engagement with the court are baseline expectations that carry heightened importance when appearing before a judge whose preferences have not yet been documented through a body of rulings. Attorneys should monitor the Daily Journal and Los Angeles Superior Court records for emerging patterns as Judge Story accumulates a ruling history. At this stage, the most reliable strategy is to present well-organized, thoroughly supported arguments and to avoid shortcuts or assumptions about how she will rule on contested issues.

• critical

  Research Any Available Rulings Post-Appointment

  Judge Story was appointed in late 2024. Attorneys should search Trellis, the Los Angeles Superior Court docket, and the Daily Journal for any rulings, tentative decisions, or reported opinions issued since her appointment before any appearance.

• critical

  Review the December 2025 Daily Journal Article

  A specific Daily Journal article from December 2025 addresses how her bar exam experience shapes her judicial philosophy. Reading this article directly provides the most current public statement of her judicial identity.

• important

  Prepare Thorough, Well-Organized Briefs

  With no ruling history to guide argument calibration, attorneys should default to comprehensive, clearly structured submissions that demonstrate effort and preparation — values she has publicly associated with her judicial approach.

• important

  Confirm Courtroom Procedures Directly with Clerk

  As a new judge, her specific courtroom rules, tentative ruling practices, and scheduling preferences may not yet be widely known. Contact the clerk's office to confirm current procedures before appearing.

• Nice

  Monitor Emerging Patterns Over Time

  Set up alerts for Judge Story's name in legal publications and court databases. Her ruling patterns will develop over time and should be incorporated into strategy as they become available.

• ›Treat every appearance as a first impression — Judge Story has a limited public record and has not yet established widely known courtroom preferences, so professional conduct and procedural precision are essential.
• ›Demonstrate thorough preparation in all filings and oral argument, consistent with the values of persistence and effort she has publicly identified as central to her judicial philosophy.
• ›Do not assume informal practices or shortcuts accepted by other Stanley Mosk judges apply in her courtroom — verify all procedural expectations directly with her clerk before appearing.
• ›Arrive prepared to address procedural and substantive issues clearly, as a new judge is building her own standards and will form early impressions of counsel based on initial appearances.