Mark Hanasono teaches the Part-time Judicial Externship Seminar. Hanasono serves as an Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Second District, Division Three. Prior to his confirmation, he was a judge for the Los Angeles Superior Court, appointed in 2013 by Governor Jerry Brown. He served in the Criminal Division for nearly twelve years. From 2020 to 2022, Hanasono was the Assistant Supervising Judge of the Criminal Division and from 2018 to 2019, the Assistant Supervising Judge of the Criminal Division, Limited Jurisdiction Courts.

Prior to his judicial appointment, Hanasono worked for the Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender, representing indigent clients in all felony cases including murder with special circumstance allegations. Hanasono also represented adults and juveniles for the Los Angeles County Public Defender.

Hanasono graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and University of California, Berkeley, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.

Hanasono was a faculty member for the Center for Judicial Education and Research and the Los Angeles Superior Court Judicial Education Seminars. He has published articles in the UC Law Constitutional Law Quarterly, Berkeley Law’s Asian Law Journal, and the California State Bar’s Criminal Law Journal.