On Sunday, May 18, 2025, the Vanguard News Group reported that Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Cindy Hendrickson faces allegations of political bias, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and judicial misconduct in a child custody case.
The controversy erupted when two women served a judicial disqualification motion in Hendrickson’s courtroom, Department 65, moments before a custody hearing. The motion accused Hendrickson of favoring the child’s mother due to undisclosed ties with divorce attorney Nicole Ford and the nonprofit WomenSV, which has been linked to political influence in Silicon Valley family courts.
The disqualification motion claimed Hendrickson failed to disclose her connections to Ford and WomenSV before presiding over a case that resulted in the father losing parenting rights. Under Hendrickson’s orders, the father was restricted to supervised visitation costing $1,000 weekly, limiting his time with his young son to brief public encounters. The motion further alleged that the mother avoided felony child abuse charges, referred by Campbell Police to the Santa Clara County District Attorney, due to her personal and financial ties with Deputy District Attorney Olivia Mendoza, evidenced by social media posts and Venmo transactions.
On February 7, 2025, Hendrickson ordered the removal of the two women who served the motion from her courtroom at Ford’s request, without providing legal justification or notifying the opposing party. The eviction was not recorded in official court minutes by the courtroom clerk or the private court reporter, Talty & Associates. One of the women, as she was escorted out by a sheriff’s deputy, accused Hendrickson of violating their civil rights. Outside the courthouse, the women spoke to reporters, condemning the eviction as retaliation against their First Amendment rights and the public’s access to court proceedings.
Public records and whistleblower accounts revealed Hendrickson’s history with WomenSV and the Santa Clara County Domestic Violence Council (DVC). Hendrickson, a former prosecutor, was appointed to the bench following the 2018 recall of Judge Aaron Persky, with support from Stanford Law Professor Michele Dauber’s campaign. Records from 2019 indicate Hendrickson accessed county records to aid Dauber’s efforts while serving as a deputy district attorney.
In 2023, a WomenSV client, referred to as Jane Doe1, claimed the nonprofit’s founder, Ruth Patrick, promoted Hendrickson’s judicial campaign, stating she would help women escape abusive relationships. Hendrickson received an award from WomenSV before the 2018 election and another from the DVC after becoming a judge. She was reappointed to the DVC, where she approved payments to attorneys, including Ford, who supported her campaign.
The motion also highlighted a 2021 DVC recommendation that led to a $250,000 grant for WomenSV, while other domestic violence nonprofits received as little as $10,000. In 2022, the Fair Political Practices Commission admonished Hendrickson for failing to disclose campaign donations during her election, which overlapped with her WomenSV affiliations.
Jane Doe1, a vocal critic of Hendrickson, died days after San Mateo County Supervisors voted to dissolve and restructure the DVC in 2025. Doe1 had accused Hendrickson of undisclosed conflicts in her divorce case, claiming the judge’s ties to WomenSV and related attorneys prolonged her legal battles. She had filed a malpractice lawsuit against attorney Michael Benetto and the Hoge Fenton law firm, which represented both her and WomenSV’s founder.
The disqualification motion’s outcome, assigned to San Mateo County Judge Johnathan Karesh, awaits further briefing on the DVC’s political influence, due May 21, 2025.
Source: Vanguard News Group
