News Release

Commission to Consider Appellate Court Nomination

Remote hearing Oct. 13 for the First Appellate District nomination will be webcast live from the California Courts Newsroom.
Sep 17, 2021

VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE—The Commission on Judicial Appointments will hold a virtual public hearing Oct. 13 at 1 p.m. to consider the nomination by Gov. Gavin Newsom of:

Judge Victor A. Rodriguez, as Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division Three (San Francisco)

The Commission members are:

  • Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye (Chair)
  • Attorney General Rob Bonta
  • Presiding Justice J. Anthony Kline

The hearings will be webcast live on the California Courts Newsroom.

The state Constitution specifies that a gubernatorial nomination or appointment to the Supreme Court or a Court of Appeal is “effective when confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments.”

The commission consists of the chief justice of California, the attorney general of California, and the presiding justice of the Court of Appeal of the affected district or, if there are two or more presiding justices, the one who has presided longest or, for a nomination or appointment to the Supreme Court, the presiding justice who has presided the longest on any Court of Appeal.

Appointee Biography

Judge Victor A. Rodriguez would fill the vacancy created by the elevation of Justice Teri L. Jackson as Presiding Justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Five. Judge Rodriguez has served on the Alameda County Superior Court since 2018. He served as supervising staff attorney for Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar at the California Supreme Court from 2015 to 2018, where he also served as judicial staff attorney for Justices Carlos R. Moreno, Goodwin H. Liu and Carol A. Corrigan from 2006 to 2015. He served as a law clerk for Judge Consuelo B. Marshall at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California from 2005 to 2006. Judge Rodriguez was a Skadden Fellow at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund from 2003 to 2005. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and a Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies from California State University, Long Beach.

Testimony and Comment

Persons who wish to testify or comment on the appointment must submit their information for receipt by the commission no later than 5 p.m. on Oct. 5. Anyone wishing to testify before the commission must state that request in writing and include a summary of the facts on which any testimony or opinion will be based.

Submissions accepted via email to coja@jud.ca.gov.  Hard copies are not required.

If you must mail your request, please do so at:

Commission on Judicial Appointments
c/o Chief Justice of California
Supreme Court of California
350 McAllister Street
San Francisco, California 94102
Attention: Secretary to the Commission

Guidelines for the Commission on Judicial Appointments are published in the appendix to the California Rules of Court and are posted on the California Courts website.

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