Commission to Consider Appointment to Third District Court of Appeal
Public documents are available here.
SAN FRANCISCO—The Commission on Judicial Appointments will hold a public hearing on Feb. 14 starting at 2 p.m. in the Supreme Court Courtroom—350 McAllister Street in San Francisco—to consider the appointment of Judge Shama Hakim Mesiwala to the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento.
Judge Mesiwala would fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Coleman A. Blease.
Seating in the courtroom will be limited—with some overflow seating also available in the auditorium—and any mask requirements will be enforced as may be required by state and local health directives in effect at the time of the hearing. The hearing will be webcast live on the California Courts Newsroom.
The state Constitution specifies that a gubernatorial appointment to the Supreme Court is effective when confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments.
The commission members who will consider the appointment are California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero (Chair), California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and Acting Presiding Justice Ronald Robie.
Appointee Summary Biography
Judge Shama Hakim Mesiwala has served as a Sacramento County Superior Court judge since 2017 and was a commissioner there in 2017. Judge Mesiwala has been an adjunct professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law since 2013. She was a judicial attorney at the Third District Court of Appeal from 2004 to 2017, where she served as a senior judicial attorney for Justice Ronald B. Robie from 2006 to 2017 and as a central staff attorney from 2004 to 2006. Judge Mesiwala served as a staff attorney at the Central California Appellate Program from 1999 to 2004 and as an attorney at the Office of the Federal Public Defender, Eastern District of California in 1999. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law.
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. Feb. 6, 2023 (five court days prior to hearing). 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 via email to coja@jud.ca.gov are strongly encouraged. Hard copies are not required.
If you would like to mail your request, you may also reach the commission 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.