News Release

Commission to Consider Appointments to Courts of Appeal

The Commission on Judicial Appointments will hold public hearings to consider appointments to the First and Fourth Appellate Districts in San Francisco and San Diego.
May 11, 2023

Public documents for the appointees are available here.

SAN FRANCISCO—The Commission on Judicial Appointments will hold a public hearing on June 23 starting at 10 a.m. in the Supreme Court Courtroom—located on the fourth floor of 350 McAllister Street in San Francisco—to consider the appointments of:

  • Judge Danny Chou as associate justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Five (San Francisco)
  • Judge David Rubin as an associate justice of the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division One (San Diego)

Seating in the courtroom will be limited—with some overflow seating also available in the Milton Marks 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 Court of Appeal 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 Presiding Justice Jim Humes (for Judge Chou’s hearing), or Presiding Justice Manuel A. Ramirez (for Judge Rubin’s hearing).

Appointee Biographies

Judge Danny Chou would fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Henry E. Needham. Judge Chou has served as a San Mateo County Superior Court judge since 2018. Judge Chou served as an assistant county counsel at the Santa Clara County Counsel’s Office from 2012 to 2018. He served as chief of complex and special litigation at the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office from 2008 to 2012, where he was chief of appellate litigation from 2006 to 2008. Judge Chou served as a supervising staff attorney at the California Supreme Court from 2005 to 2006, where he was also a judicial staff attorney from 1999 to 2005. He was a staff attorney at the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit from 1998 to 1999, an associate at Howard, Rice, Nemerovski, Canady, Falk and Rabkin from 1995 to 1998, and a law clerk for Judge Stanley A. Weigel at the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California from 1994 to 1995. Judge Chou earned a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School.

Judge David Rubin would fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Cynthia G. Aaron. Judge Rubin has served as a San Diego County Superior Court judge since 2007. Judge Rubin served as a deputy district attorney at the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office from 1987 to 2007. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law.

Testimony and Comment

Requests to testify or written comments on the appointment must be received by the commission no later than 5 p.m. June 15 (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.

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