Introducing the Honorable Meghan Piano

AT HER SWEARING-IN ceremony on Jan. 3, 2025, Judge Meghan Piano ’04, J.D. ’07 pledged to uphold her father’s life motto, “Work hard and be nice.” She vowed to do this through something most casual consumers of the justice system, at least as it’s portrayed in pop culture, don’t associate with it: empathy.

“My goal is to create a courtroom where everyone feels their case will be treated with respect, dignity, and fairness,” she says. “Above all, I will try to bring humility, empathy, and the ability to relate to others from all backgrounds to the bench.”

Piano was appointed to the Santa Clara County Superior Court by Gov. Gavin Newsom ’89 in November 2024, along with fellow Santa Clara University School of Law grad Jon Heaberlin J.D. ’98. They were among the most recent in a long line of judicial appointees educated at SCU Law. In fact, according to data gathered by the law school, 40% of Santa Clara County Superior Court judges are SCU Law graduates.

To Piano—a first-generation college student who served as a fellow at the SCU-housed Northern California Innocence Project and then spent nearly two decades in the Santa Clara County Public Defender’s Office while also lecturing at SCU Law before becoming a judge—it makes sense that a place as invested in maintaining high ethical standards and improving the lives of others would produce so many legal leaders. “I wouldn’t be where I am without the support I’ve received from the University,” she says.

Santa Clara Magazine sat down with Piano to discuss what it takes to be an arbiter of justice who leads not with an iron fist but rather with conscience and compassion.

(The following has been edited for clarity.)

Santa Clara Magazine: At Santa Clara School of Law, you earned the Public Interest & Social Justice Law Certificate, Pro Bono Plaque, and were part of the Health Law Society. Did you see SCU as a natural fit for your inclinations?

Judge Meghan Piano: In undergrad (at Santa Clara), I took a lot of classes that were social justice-based and did a lot of community service and outreach. In law school, the classes that really ignited my passion were all social justice-based. I think Santa Clara tries to instill in the students that you should do more for your community, always give back, and leave it better than how you found it. That’s also how my parents raised me, so that message really spoke to me.

Law school helped me explore different areas of the law I was interested in and I wasn’t sure where I would end up because I was really nervous about speaking in court. So that’s what held me back initially from pursuing a trial attorney position.

SCM: I’m assuming the anxiety around trials has eased?

Piano: It did. And now that’s what I do all day long—talk in court! And in my career before becoming a judge, that’s basically what I did every day for 17 years. I had a mentor at the Northern California Innocence Project who really spent time working with me and encouraging me to step outside of my comfort zone and be confident in my ability to represent other people in a courtroom setting. They also helped me set up an informational interview at the Public Defender’s Office, and it was history from there.

SCM: Tell us about your time with the Innocence Project. You assisted a team that successfully reversed a double homicide conviction of a 16-year-old from Fresno named Armando Ortiz. What about that experience informed your career post-law school?

Piano: It was really amazing to be part of an actual exoneration. That’s rare in innocence work. In this case, the records indicated Mr. Ortiz’s alibi defense had not been (fully) investigated. We drove down to Fresno and talked to people, and it turned out he had a full, unbiased alibi that had never been presented by his court appointed attorney at the trial.

He ended up being exonerated and that was a really humbling experience to be part of. And it also colored the way that I went on to practice as a public defender—really working extra hard to make sure no stone was unturned in my clients’ defenses.

SCM: Santa Clara County Superior Court was one of the first courts in the nation to offer collaborative justice programs that are characterized by a team approach that’s trauma-focused, culturally sensitive, and emphasizes connecting people to community services to reduce recidivism. You are currently serving as a judge in the Mental Health Treatment Court. How has working within such a system informed the way you operate on the bench?

Piano: It is very easy to enter the justice system, and very difficult to get out. Especially if you have a mental health diagnosis, suffered extensive trauma in your past, or are unhoused. What studies have shown and what the court sees is that oftentimes reentry or collaborative court programs, designed to help individuals successfully transition back into society and not end up back in prison or jail, can drastically reduce recidivism rates. I think that was something I’ve always been interested in, even prior to becoming a judge.

Think of a case as a “snapshot” of someone on their worst day. When you take a step back and look at that individual’s situation holistically, you realize that there’s so much more going on with the person than just whatever happened on that one single day. Often, if you can help a person change their circumstances, you can also help that person find a path out of the justice system.

SCM: When did you hear that the governor had appointed you? Was becoming a judge fulfilling a lifelong ambition?

Piano: I heard on Nov. 21, 2024, while at work. I never envisioned myself as a judge as I was growing up or in my career as a young public defender. A year and a half ago, several judges that I’d appeared in front of as a lawyer approached me about the application process and encouraged me to consider putting my name in to the governor’s office for consideration.

“It is very easy to enter the justice system, and very difficult to get out. … Often, if you can help a person change their circumstances, you can also help that person find a path out of the justice system.”

The appointment process was long—they really vetted me! There’s a really long application; you answer questions about your life and your opinions on different topics that the governor considers important. In the background, they’re calling references, your coworkers, people you had cases against, and judges you had appeared in front of throughout your career to get the scoop on what kind of person and attorney you are. If you make it through the first round, you interview with commissioners from the judicial nomination committee and submit a list of 100 individuals they can survey about you. From there, the governor’s office contacted me and arranged an interview in Sacramento with his appointment secretary, Luis Céspedes.

When I heard, I was excited, overwhelmed, nervous, basically any feeling you could imagine. I was also choosing to leave a place that I had worked at for 17 years. It was like my family. I mean, my family literally works there [husband Jake Rhodes J.D. ’10 is a public defender]. But I also felt ready for something new and I really feel that in this job I can continue to give back to my community in a different way.

SCM: The theme of this issue is “humane.” In your swearing in speech, you spoke a lot about empathy and recognizing the humanity in every individual. Talk about the importance today in taking a humane approach to upholding the law.

Piano: From a basic standpoint, when a person comes before a judge, they’re coming into a world they don’t necessarily understand. Everybody is talking about them or around them or trying to figure out what’s going to happen to them. A lot of times, I think the person can feel like the proceedings are not really including or acknowledging them. Treating people with respect and dignity is so important because, well one, that’s what we should all do, but two, because it helps them feel seen and heard in a process that’s easy to get lost in.

SCM: Research shows that reducing recidivism creates safer communities, eases prison overcrowding, saves money, and helps individuals lead more ful­lling lives. What sorts of programs and actions do you see that actually work to reduce recidivism?

Piano: For the mental health treatment courtroom that I currently serve in, the programs and actions that I see that reduce recidivism are those that help patients access medication, psychiatric services, sobriety programming, and help getting to court. Further, helping people who are unhoused and housing is a huge piece of the recidivism puzzle.

In our courtroom, clients receive access to clinicians and social workers in the community who have dedicated their life to supporting this extremely vulnerable population. All of these supports, combined with a court that holds the person accountable, are significant pathways out of the criminal justice system.

SCM: What do you want people to know about Santa Clara University?

Piano: I love SCU. I was a first-generation college student who attended their Young Scholars Program while I was still in high school. I had an incredible undergraduate experience with friends who are like family to this day! The law school supported me in finding out professionally who I was and what I wanted to be. I got married at SCU, my husband ended up attending law school there, and we both have gone on to teach classes in the law school. SCU has contributed richly to my life and has really helped me become the person that I am today.