D.A. COURTS JUDGESHIP
Published in the March 14, 2026 edition.
To Inyo County District Attorney Dana Crom, a successful judge is marked by four qualities: experience, temperament, preparation, and integrity.
“We need a judge who has not only the experience, but a good understanding of the community, and what the community wants from its court system,” Crom told The Sheet. “I think in my 30 years of regular practice in this county, in all facets of the law, I have that.”
This year, Crom is throwing her hat in for Inyo County Superior Court judge. She is running against local attorney Taylor Fitzmaurice for Judge Susanne Rizo’s seat (Rizo is not seeking reelection). The race is one of two judicial elections in Inyo County, the second of which is a faceoff between public defender Gerard Harvey and incumbent Stephen M. Place.
Crom’s significant experience in Inyo County law is embedded in her position. Her platform is twofold: to restructure the court calendar and to hold jury trials in Bishop. According to Crom, both of these ideas are a direct response to the legal need in the community.
Crom knows the community. She was born in Ridgecrest and raised in Bishop. She wanted to be a lawyer ever since she was a little girl.
“My godfather loved to engage me in legal hypotheticals,” Crom said. “By the time I got to high school, I knew I wanted to go to law school.”
Crom subsequently attended California State University in Sacramento, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in government. She stayed in the capital for law school at the University of the Pacific, where she graduated with honors and was inducted into the Order of the Coif, a prestigious law school honor society. After five years in private practice in the Bay area, she moved back to the Eastside to work in the Inyo County Counsel’s Office.
“I returned to Inyo County because this is my home,” she said. “This is where I was raised.”
Crom’s legal experience in Inyo County is diverse. She worked on the Eastside as a solo practitioner for 11 years, where her cases included representing conservators and working to assist individuals who are developmentally delayed or elderly.
As a solo practitioner, she also had a large family law caseload, and represented both parents and children in juvenile court. She represented minor offenders and was contracted as a public defender. She handled criminal and felony cases. She even dabbled in environmental law, working on a solar project and going through the hoops of the state’s environmental review process.
“I’ve done pretty much every type of case [in this county] the court would hear,” she said.
Her opponent, Fitzmaurice, “does not have the same connection to the county that I do,” Crom said.
In 2014, Crom started working for the Inyo County District Attorney’s office as a deputy district attorney. In January of 2025, she was appointed Inyo County District Attorney.
“I’ve absolutely loved being in the D.A.’s office,” she said. “I love the people I work for and work with.”
Still, she sees ways to improve the court.
The current court calendar is inefficient, she explained. Often, civil cases, such as family law cases, are heard on the same day as criminal cases, but in two different locations.
“What it does is prevent lawyers from handing different types of law,” Crom said.
A community need, because according to Crom, there are not enough lawyers in Inyo county.
“We need lawyers,” she said. “I think there are ways the court can structure its calendar so lawyers can come in and provide legal services to our community.”
A change in the court calendar would allow lawyers to practice both civil and criminal law, allowing lawyers working in private practice to make more money, she said. She hypothesized that a fear of income was perhaps a barrier to lawyers practicing locally.
Bringing jury trials back to Bishop would additionally showcase the community’s legal values. Crom was not sure exactly the last time Bishop saw a jury trial, but she guessed 2008 or 2009.
“The bottom line is, jury trials tell us what the community thinks is important and what they don’t necessarily think is that important,” Crom said. “When you have a jury trial and a jury says, not guilty, that sends a strong message to us.”
Crom’s connections to Inyo County go beyond her legal expertise. She was the two-time president of Mule Days and has been an active member of the Bishop Rotary Club.
If elected, Crom would work closely with the other county judge and continue her service to the community.
“I have a deep love for the people in this valley. I appreciate everything that I have been able to do here as a lawyer,” she said.
“And right now, it is critical that we have a judge who succeeds Judge Rizo who has the temperament, the experience, and the knowledge of what’s important to people in this community. That’s why I’m running.”
