On Wednesday evening, California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) welcomed Kern County Superior Court Judge Keenan Perkins, who presides over juvenile matters, for a talk discussing his journey to the bench and his experiences serving on the court.
Perkins began by introducing himself and sharing his story. Born and raised in Bakersfield, Perkins lost his father in a fatal car collision when he was five years old, leaving his mother to raise him and his older brother alone. At 16, Perkins moved out of his mother’s home. He noted that he was not particularly interested in school at the time and instead turned to the streets. As a juvenile, he got into trouble with the law and was sent to the Youth Detention Facility, where he now presides as a judge.
Perkins continued his talk with the reminder that beginnings do not determine outcomes. His own journey, from sitting at the Juvenile Youth Detention Facility to presiding over it serves as a powerful example of resilience and growth.
“That is totally unexpected for me and is actually a dream situation,” Perkins said, referencing to his past.
Around the age of 16, Perkins was involved in a serious accident that resulted in a broken thigh bone and nearly cost him his arm. After recovering, he entered the first semester of his senior year at West High School. During that time, a teacher asked whether he wanted to attend class or take a military entrance exam. Perkins chose to take the exam and ultimately served three years in the military. He was stationed in Kansas and later deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm, the 1991 U.S.-led combat phase of the Gulf War.
While stationed in Saudi Arabia, Perkins had a conversation with a sergeant who encouraged him to pursue higher education rather than re-enlist.
“Ultimately, when I was sitting in the middle of the desert in Saudi Arabia for six months, it didn’t matter what any man had on his collar as far as rank. Nobody was happy sitting in that desert in 110, 115-degree heat and having to do work in that type of environment,” Perkins said.
After completing his military service, Perkins returned to Bakersfield and enrolled at Bakersfield College (BC). As he prepared to graduate, his mother passed away when he was 24 years old. After earning his degree from BC, he went on to attend CSUB, majoring in public administration. Following a conversation with a former professor, he considered pursuing either an MBA or a law degree. However, he had reservations about entering the business field.
“I wasn’t sure about business because in the back of my head, I’m also considering, like, where do I fit in this world? Because growing up here in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, there weren’t that many Black faces working; there weren’t that many career paths. I was also concerned about my juvenile record. How am I going to go into corporate America with this history and background that I have? But because I’m hardheaded, I said, at least with a law degree I can go into business for myself,” Perkins said.
Perkins later attended Southwestern Law School as a part-time student. After graduating, he returned to Bakersfield and began practicing business and employment law. A few years later, he transitioned into criminal law and worked as an attorney in the Public Defender’s Office. He also opened his own law office to accept cases through the indigent defense panel. For 10 to 15 years, Perkins presided over probable cause hearings at mental health institutions before a colleague suggested he consider becoming a judge. To which Perkins dismissed.
“It was not something I really thought about. I didn’t know if it was something I wanted to do for a period of time because it just becomes a lot more responsibility, a lot more scrutiny on your life. I blew it off for a couple of years,” Perkins said.
Eventually, Perkins decided to submit an application and was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2024.
Members of the audience said they were inspired by Perkins’ personal testimony, with some drawing motivation for their own journeys.
“I’m in my late 30s and just finished at BC last year. Now I’m starting at Cal State, close to 40. I have a career, I have a family and such, so it’s not normally the route you take,” said Esteban Lopez, a CSUB student who attended the talk. “I think it was good to hear that a local person with circumstances working against them, from the community that I grew up in as well, had a wide range of experiences and still decided to pursue law,” Lopez continued.
