Hon. Elaine Rushing was the first woman appointed to the Sonoma County Superior Court and recently retired after serving nearly two decades. In 2005 she spearheaded the popular Superior Court-annexed Mediation Program, in which over 1,000 cases have been successfully mediated. She was elected presiding judge by her colleagues and was awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the Sonoma County Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Section in 2010. She is now a full-time mediator and arbitrator with JAMS. Judge Rushing has extensive experience in a variety of complex practice areas, including business litigation, construction, employment, real estate, trusts, estates, probate, and personal injury. Judge Rushing has served extensively as a faculty member for the Continuing Judicial Studies Program including a yearly class on Law and Literature and has taught Probate to Judges. Judge Rushing obtained her J.D. degree from UC Hastings College of the Law and was Order of the Coif. She was Research Editor of the Hastings Law Journal. She received her B.A. from Syracuse University, Phi Beta Kappa, with Honors in German. A more comprehensive biography of Judge Rushing may be found at www.jamsadr.com.
Education
J.D., Hastings College of the Law
B.A., Syracuse University
Elaine Rushing is not teaching any Law courses in Fall 2024.
Ex-Tesla Employee Called a Racial Slur Wins Rare $1 Million Reward
Lecturer Hon. Elaine Rushing’s arbitration decision finds Tesla liable for harassment because it was perpetrated by an employee’s supervisors