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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Superior Court announced the appointment of a new court commissioner on Tuesday.
Lake County native Jacqueline Snyder has been selected for the position.
Snyder graduated from Empire Law School and has been an attorney since 2008. She spent nearly five years with the Lake County Department of Child Support Services and has handled family and juvenile cases in private practice in Lake County for the past 16 years.
“Ms. Snyder has extensive courtroom experience as well as a strong background in Department of Child Support cases,” said Presiding Judge Michael Lunas in the announcement. “Her knowledge, experience, and dedication to just and efficient handling of cases will make her an asset to the Lake County Superior Court.”
Based at the Clearlake Courthouse, Commissioner Snyder will handle Department of Child Support Services, traffic, small claims, unlawful detainer and collaborative court calendars.
Snyder told Lake County News that she saw this as an opportunity to step into a different role.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to advance my career here in Lake County and to contribute to the work of the court and the community it serves,” she said in an email response.
Practicing law in a place she grew up has been a joy, Snyder said. “People who live here love it and I'm so glad I decided to lay my roots down here,” she said.
As a graduate from Lower Lake High School, Snyder said she was “elated” that another Lower Lake alumnus – Judge J. David Markham – is on the bench.
“One of the strengths of a small county is the sense of community and the many good people who work hard every day to serve it,” she added. “I look forward to contributing to a court that treats everyone with fairness, respect, and integrity.”
Snyder lives in Clearlake with her teenage daughter and husband, Martin, a lieutenant with the Clearlake Police Department. She also is a member of the Lake County Fire Protection District Board of Directors.
She was raised in a family dedicated to community service. Her father, Dr. Mark Cooper, a retired dentist, is a longtime member of the Lake County Office of Education Board representing the Clearlake area. Her late mother, Janice, worked for decades for the Konocti Unified School District, first as a speech therapist and later as a teacher.
Tuesday afternoon at the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport, newly sworn-in Superior Court Judge John Langan, who Snyder succeeds in the commissioner slot, walked up to her in the hall and gave her a congratulatory handshake and hug.
Lingzi Chen is a staff reporter at Lake County News and a 2024-2026 California Local News Fellow. Email her at lchen@lakeconews.com.
