A few people have asked me about the California Justice Retention elections that appear on our California ballots this year.
California voters have the opportunity to decide whether to retain Justices on our Appellate Courts during gubernatorial election years. The Los Angeles Times explained the process in a recent editorial:
“Retention elections are held only in gubernatorial election years. Appointees generally begin serving as soon as they are confirmed by a three-person commission, and they then face voters the next time the governor is on the ballot. But their first election isn’t necessarily to a full 12-year term. Justices must first complete the unexpired terms of their predecessors, then return to the ballot for a full term. Liu, for example, was appointed in 2011, then was on the ballot in 2014 for the remainder of a term that expires at the beginning of next year. Now he’s is running for his first full term.”
Every Californian can vote on the retention elections for four California Supreme Court Justices. Since I live in Contra Costa County, I will also vote on the retention elections of nine Justices on the California Court of Appeal’s First Division. (As will all voters in Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, and Sonoma Counties.)
All of the judges in these counties were appointed either by Governor Jerry Brown or Governor Gavin Newsom. I haven’t found any significant controversy, so I plan to vote to retain all of them.
Here are more details about the backgrounds of these judges. You can also learn more about them, or if you live in other parts of California, learn more about the Court of Appeal judges who will appear on your ballot by clicking here: https://www.courts.ca.gov/courtsofappeal.htm.
Chief Justice of California’s Supreme Court
Patricia Guerrero (Newsom Appointee for Chief Justice in August 2022, was Newsom Appointee for Associate Justice in March 2022)
Associate Justices of California’s Supreme Court
Goodwin Liu (Brown Appointee in 2011, Retained by Voters in 2014)
Martin J. Jenkins (Newsom Appointee in 2020)
Joshua P. Groban (Brown Appointee in 2018)
Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, First District, Division Two
Therese M. Stewart (Brown Appointee in 2014)
Presiding Justice, Court of Appeal, First District, Division Three
Alison M. Tucher (Newsom Appointee for Presiding Justice in 2021, was Brown Appointee to Associate Justice, First District, Division Four in 2018)
Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, First District, Division Three
Victor A. Rodríguez (Newsom Appointee in 2021)
Ioana Petrou (Brown Appointee in 2018)
Carin T. Fujisaki (Brown Appointee in 2018)
Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, First District, Division Four
Tracie L. Brown (Brown Appointee in 2018)
Jeremy M. Goldman (Newsom Appointee in 2022)
Presiding Justice, Court of Appeal, First District, Division Five
Teri L. Jackson (Newsom Appointee as Associate Justice in 2019, Newsom Appointee as Presiding Justice in 2021)
Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, First District, Division Five
Gordon B. Burns (Brown Appointee in 2018)