Judge Ronald H. Sargis

On January 14, 2010, Judge Ronald H. Sargis was appointed to serve as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of California. He was reappointed January 14, 2024. Judge Sargis served a seven-year term as Chief Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of California, served on the Ninth Circuit Conference of Chief Bankruptcy Judges Committee during that period, served for three years on the Executive Committee for that Conference, and served as the Chair of that Conference for the 2021-2022 year, during which he was the Chief Bankruptcy Judge Observer to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council and the Ninth Circuit District Court Judges Conference. Judge Sargis has also served on the California State-Federal Judicial Council. Judge Sargis was an Adjunct Professor of the Bankruptcy Course at the McGeorge School of law from 2014 to 2020. Additionally, Judge Sargis serves on the Legislative Committee for the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges.

Judge Sargis graduated from Stanford University in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree Political Science. In 1982, Judge Sargis completed his Juris Doctor Degree, with distinction, at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. Following law school, Judge Sargis served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Loren Dahl, United States Bankruptcy Judge, Eastern District of California. Judge Sargis subsequently served in private practice for 26 years, during which time he became a partner at Hefner, Stark & Marois. In addition to bankruptcy law, Judge Sargis’ legal practice included commercial law, PACA rights enforcement and litigation, fair debt collection practices and fair credit reporting compliance and litigation, oil and gas law, and federal and state legislation and regulation relating to fair debt collection practices, fair credit reporting, homestead and other exemptions, and HIPPA regulations and compliance. He also served as Chancellor for St. Michael’s Church and as the Church Attorney for the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California. His appellate practice was before the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel, U.S. District Court, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, California District Court of Appeal, and the California Supreme Court.