Meet the new judges who will lead the Los Angeles Superior Court

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Superior Court is made up of dozens of courthouses throughout the county, and the judges themselves elect the person who will oversee it all.

They have chosen a new presiding judge, in addition to the judge who will likely succeed him: Judges Sergio Tapia and Ricardo Ocampo.

"It is probably the honor of my life to be elected by my colleagues," Tapia said.

Tapia will now head the largest trial court system in the nation. He was born in Hawthorne and is the first in his family to graduate from college. He is also the first presiding judge of Latino heritage since all the county courts consolidated back in 2000.

"The significance, in my humble opinion, is that in order for the public to trust or judicial system, they need to feel invested, they need to feel that they are represented, and I think this election is one small step in trying to achieve that goal," he added.

The newly-elected assistant presiding judge is Ricardo Ocampo. He arrived in this country as an immigrant at 17 years old.

"Nowhere in in my wildest dreams I would imagine that I would be standing before you now in this position," said Ocampo.

Ocampo was first appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and is the first Asian American in the court's history to serve as assistant presiding judge.

"I think this is finally reflective of the community we serve. The colors now that you see here, and the cultural backgrounds, reflect the community. Me, as an immigrant, it reflects that we have a community of immigrants here," Ocampo added.

As they look to the future, both judges feel the main issue they want to deal with is providing access and fairness for everyone.

"One of our biggest challenges is to ensure that we meet people where they are, so that they always feel that they can access our system of justice and feel that they are part of the fabric of this wonderful democracy," says Tapia.

The judges will take over in their new roles when the next court term begins next year on Jan. 1.