News Release

Commission on Judicial Appointments to Consider the Nomination of Justice Patricia Guerrero as Chief Justice of California

Public hearing Aug. 26 will be broadcast live from the California Courts Newsroom.
Aug 11, 2022

Public documents are available here.

SAN FRANCISCO—The Commission on Judicial Appointments will hold a public hearing on Aug. 26 at 10 a.m. in the Supreme Court Courtroom to consider the nomination of Justice Patricia Guerrero as Chief Justice of California.

Seating in the courtroom, located on the fourth floor of the Earl Warren Building at 350 McAllister Street in San Francisco, will be limited. Overflow seating will be available in the Milton Marks Auditorium, located within the Ronald M. George State Office Complex at 455 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco. Any mask requirements that may be specified by state and local health directives in effect at the time of the hearing will be enforced. The hearing will be webcast live on the California Courts Newsroom.

If confirmed by the commission, Justice Guerrero must also be elected by voters at the Nov. 8 general election.

The commission members who will consider the appointment are: Chief Justice of California Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye (Chair), California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and senior Presiding Justice of the state Courts of Appeal Manuel A. Ramirez

Appointee Summary Biography

If confirmed by the commission and voters in the upcoming general election, Justice Guerrero would succeed current Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye, who announced she will not seek re-election and will conclude her current 12-year term of office on Jan. 2, 2023.

Justice Guerrero was sworn in as an associate justice of the California Supreme Court in March, making her the first Latina to serve on the state's high court.

Prior to being elevated to the California Supreme Court, Justice Guerrero served as an associate justice at the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division One since 2017. 

A native of the Imperial Valley raised by immigrant parents from Mexico, Justice Guerrero began working in a grocery store at the age of 16 and graduated as co-valedictorian in high school. She continued working to help pay for her education while attending the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford Law School, where she earned a Juris Doctor degree. Justice Guerrero was active in the Latino Law Students Association and helped fellow students at the recruitment and retention center.

Prior to her appointment to the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Justice Guerrero served as a judge at the San Diego County Superior Court from 2013 to 2017 and was supervising judge for the Family Law Division at the court in 2017. Justice Guerrero was hired as an associate at Latham & Watkins and became a partner in 2006. She served as an assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California from 2002 to 2003.

Justice Guerrero has contributed many hours of pro bono work, including as a member of the Advisory Board of the Immigration Justice Project, to promote due process and access to justice at all levels of the immigration and appellate court system. She has assisted clients on a pro bono basis in immigration matters, including asylum applications and protecting vulnerable families by litigating compliance with fair housing laws. California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye named her to the Blue Ribbon Commission on the Future of the California Bar Exam, and Justice Guerrero has been active in the Chief’s “Judges in the Classroom” civics program.

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 Aug. 22. 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.

Images