Judge Vincent J. O’Neill, Jr., retired on January 3, 2021, after more than 28 years on the Ventura Superior Court bench. During his career, he presided over a wide range of criminal trials, civil trials and appeals.
Judge O’Neill was appointed to the Ventura Municipal Court by Governor Pete Wilson in 1992. He was elevated by Governor Wilson to the Superior Court bench three years later.
Judge O’Neill is a former Superior Court Presiding Judge, Assistant Presiding Judge, Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division and Supervising Judge of the Civil Division. In 2011, he was named Judge of the Year by the Ventura County Trial Lawyers Association.
Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge O’Neill was a member of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office for 13 years, eight of which were in the position of Chief Deputy District Attorney. Before that, he was a Deputy Attorney General for two years in the Los Angeles criminal division.
Throughout his career, Judge O’Neill taught numerous statewide judicial education courses and was an adjunct professor at the Ventura College of Law. He was active in many professional and community activities, and is the author of O’Neill’s California Confessions Law.