Brenda J. Penny is an American

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

on the

Los Angeles County Superior Court The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, is the California superior court with jurisdiction over Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States. The ...

. She was appointed in 2018 by then California Governor Jerry Brown and is best known for her role in overseeing

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

's conservatorship dispute.

Education and early career

Penny obtained a B.A. from the University of Southern California and a J.D. from the University of West Los Angeles School of Law. After graduating from law school, she started working at Pasadena

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

Gronemeier and Barker in 1982 as an associate and was named partner in 1989. In 1994, she left the firm to be a sole practitioner until 1997.

Los Angeles County Superior Court

In 1997, she was hired as a probate attorney at the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, and in 2001 was promoted to Assistant Supervising Probate Attorney. A registered Democrat, Penny was elected by the superior court judges to serve as court commissioner in 2014. In 2018, former California Governor Jerry Brown appointed her to serve as a Superior Court of Los Angeles County judge. In March 2020, she won re-election by default after the primary and general elections were canceled because she was the only candidate. Her term is slated to end on January 4, 2027.

Britney Spears conservatorship

On July 14, 2021, Judge Penny ruled that Spears could hire her own lawyer, approving

Mathew Rosengart Mathew S. Rosengart is an American lawyer. He is a former federal prosecutor and Trial Attorney for the United States Department of Justice. Rosengart is known for representing high-profile clients, including Steven Spielberg, Sean Penn, Julia L ...

, a former federal prosecutor who is repeatedly featured on '' The Hollywood Reporters "power lawyer" list, to represent her. On November 12, 2021, Judge Penny terminated the conservatorship.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penny, Brenda J. Living people Britney Spears African-American judges California state court judges Superior court judges in the United States 20th-century American judges 20th-century American women judges 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century African-American women Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century African-American lawyers