Commission to Consider Appointments to Courts of Appeal

The live webcast will begin at 2:30 p.m. on Jan 30 here.

SAN FRANCISCO—The Commission on Judicial Appointments will hold public hearings on Tuesday, Jan. 30 starting at 2:30 p.m. to consider two appellate court appointments by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The commission will consider the following appointments during hearings held in the Supreme Court Courtroom, located on the fourth floor of 350 McAllister Street in San Francisco:

• Judge Monique Langhorne Wilson as associate justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division One (San Francisco)
   
• Aimee Feinberg as associate justice of the Third District Court of Appeal (Sacramento)

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; Presiding Justice Jim Humes (for the First Appellate District hearing) and Presiding Justice Laurie M. Earl (for the Third Appellate District hearing).

Appointee Biographies

Judge Monique Langhorne Wilson would fill the vacancy created by the appointment of Justice Gabriel P. Sanchez to the federal bench. She has served as a Napa County Superior Court judge since 2018. Judge Langhorne Wilson also served as a Napa County Superior Court commissioner from 2006 to 2018. Before joining the bench, she served as a deputy district attorney at the Napa County District Attorney’s Office from 2000 to 2006 and was a family support officer at the Napa County Department of Child Support Services from 1999 to 2000. Judge Langhorne Wilson earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

Aimee Feinberg would fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Andrea Hoch. Feinberg has been of counsel at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP since 2023. She served as a deputy solicitor general at the California Department of Justice from 2014 to 2023. She was a lecturer and director of the California Supreme Court Clinic at the University of California, Davis School of Law from 2012 to 2014 and an associate at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP from 2005 to 2011. She served as a law clerk for Justice Stephen G. Breyer at the U.S. Supreme Court from 2004 to 2005 and for Judge David S. Tatel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit from 2003 to 2004. Feinberg was an associate at Covington & Burling from 2002 to 2003. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School.

Testimony and Comment

Requests to testify or written comments on the appointment must be received by the commission no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 23 (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.