Video: California Supreme Court Honors Retired Justice Martin Jenkins

LOS ANGELES—The California Supreme Court concluded its oral argument session Wednesday with an emotional sendoff to colleague Justice Martin Jenkins, who retired after five years with the court and more than 35 years of judicial service.

Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero said Jenkins had worked “tirelessly to improve the administration of justice for all of our courts…as we try to grapple with the most challenging legal and practical problems facing our state.”

“Thank you for your invaluable service to the people of this state,” Chief Justice Guerrero said. “You’ve had a remarkable and distinguished career, serving at virtually every level of both our state and federal courts. At each stage, you have served with integrity and distinction.”

Jenkins, 71, was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2020 and was the first openly gay justice and the third African-American man to serve on the court.

Jenkins spent almost two years advising Governor Newsom on judicial appointments prior to filling the vacancy on the court created by Justice Ming Chin’s retirement. Before joining the Newsom administration, Jenkins served as an associate justice on the First District Court of Appeal from 2008 to 2019 and as a federal district judge at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California from 1997 to 2008. Earlier, Jenkins served as a judge on the Alameda County Superior Court (1992–1997) and on the Oakland Municipal Court (1989–1992). Jenkins’s prior experience as a practitioner included three years as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice and three years as a prosecutor with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.