Newsom Nominates New California Supreme Court Chief Justice

Justice Patricia Guerrero is sworn into the California Supreme Court in Sacramento on March 28, 2022. Courtesy of the Office of the Governor of California

California Gov. Gavin Newsom nominated Aug. 11 Supreme Court Associate Justice Patricia Guerrero to serve as the state’s next chief justice following the end of Tani Cantil-Sakauye’s term.

If confirmed, Guerrero would become the state’s first Latina to serve in the role, according to Newsom’s office.

“Justice Guerrero has established herself as a widely respected jurist with a formidable intellect and command of the law and deep commitment to equal justice and public service,” Newsom said in a statement.

Guerrero is a first-generation Californian from the Imperial Valley and was the state Supreme Court’s first Latina justice.

Sworn into the California Supreme Court by Newsom earlier this year, she said she was humbled and honored by the nomination.

“If confirmed, I look forward to continuing the strides the Court has made under Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye to expand equal access to justice and create a fairer justice system for all Californians,” she said in a statement issued by the governor’s office.

She was appointed to the Fourth District Court of Appeal in 2017. Before that, she served as a judge of the San Diego Superior Court, where she supervised the family law division, according to her court biography.

She earned a law degree from Stanford Law School and was a partner at Latham and Watkins LLP from 2007 to 2013.

She also served as an assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California, from 2002 to 2003.

Newsom also announced his intention to appoint Alameda County Superior Court Judge Kelli Evans to serve as an associate justice to fill the vacancy created by Guerrero’s expected promotion.