This November, millions of Californians will cast ballots for offices and propositions at the local, state, and federal levels. Among the choices: 64 state judicial officers who qualify for retention. Each voter will only see the judicial officers relevant to their district, but all Californians will vote to retain any Supreme Court justices as well as Court of Appeal justices serving their region.

Patricia Guerrero made history as the first Latina to lead the California Supreme Court. Her appointment as the state’s 29th chief justice marked a major milestone for Latina representation at the highest levels of California’s legal system. 

Of the bills sent to Newsom in 2026, he signed 1,040. Those bills ranged from providing more training opportunities for people to recognize opioid overdoses and administer naloxone to considering forced marriage as grounds for seeking a domestic violence restraining order. There’s legislation requiring high school coaches to complete mental health training to better help their players, and another creating a first-in-the-nation state seal to identify non-ultraprocessed foods.

With the high court having a temporarily vacant seat following the October 2025 retirement of Justice Martin Jenkins, 42 Court of Appeal justices served as pro tempore justices in cases it decided last year. Representing all six appellate districts, these justices participated in cases involving the right to bail, tort liability for drug manufacturers, and peremptory challenges to judges, among other issues of statewide importance.