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| More information on California's state courts: |
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Selection
methods
Elections
Salaries
Federal courts
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In California, there are four federal district courts, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes which are outlined in the sections below.
- Federal courts
- State supreme court
- State court of appeals
- Trial courts
The structure of California's state court system.
Judicial selection processSee also: Judicial selection in California and California judicial electionsCalifornia uses two different
systems for its selection of state court judges. The state's appellate judges are chosen by gubernatorial appointment followed by commission
confirmation. Trial judges are elected by popular nonpartisan vote.[1] To read more about judicial elections in California,
click here. Federal courtsThe federal district courts in California are the: - United States District Court for the Central District of California
- United States District Court for
the Eastern District of California
- United States District Court for the Northern District of California
- United States District Court for the Southern District of California
Appeals from these districts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the 9th Circuit. Active judgesCentral District
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|
Stephen Wilson
| Ronald Reagan (R)
| October 17, 1985 -
| Lehigh University, 1963
| Brooklyn Law School, 1967
| David Carter
| Bill Clinton (D)
| October 22, 1998 -
| University of California, Los Angeles, 1967
| University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, 1972
| John Walter
| George W. Bush (R)
| May 1, 2002 -
| Loyola University of Los Angeles, 1966
| Loyola University School of Law, Los Angeles, 1969
| Percy Anderson
| George W. Bush (R)
| May 1, 2002 -
| University of California, Los Angeles, 1970
| University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, 1975
| Robert Klausner
| George W. Bush (R)
| November 15, 2002 -
| University of Notre Dame, 1964
| Loyola Law School, 1967
| Cormac Carney
| George W. Bush (R)
| April 9, 2003 -
| University of California, Los Angeles, 1983
| Harvard Law School, 1987
| Dale Fischer
| George W. Bush (R)
| November 5, 2003 -
| University of South Florida, 1977
| Harvard Law School, 1980
| Philip Gutierrez
| George W. Bush (R)
| February 16, 2007 -
| University of Notre Dame, 1981
| UCLA School of Law, 1984
| Otis Wright
| George W. Bush (R)
| April 16, 2007 -
| California State University, Los Angeles, 1976
| Southwestern School of Law, 1980
| George Wu
| George W. Bush (R)
| April 17, 2007 -
| Pomona College, 1972
| University of Chicago Law School, 1975
| Dolly Gee
| Barack Obama (D)
| January 4, 2010 -
| University of California, Los Angeles, 1981
| University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, 1984
| Josephine Staton
| Barack Obama (D)
| June 22, 2010 -
| William Jewell College, 1983
| Harvard Law School, 1986
| Michael Fitzgerald
| Barack Obama (D)
| March 15, 2012 -
| Harvard, 1981
| University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, 1985
| Jesus Bernal
| Barack Obama (D)
| December 12, 2012 -
| Yale, 1986
| Stanford Law, 1989
| Fernando Olguin
| Barack Obama (D)
| January 16, 2013 -
| Harvard, 1985
| University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, 1989
| André Birotte Jr.
| Barack Obama (D)
| August 8, 2014 -
| Tufts University, 1987
| Pepperdine University Law School, 1991
| John William Holcomb
| Donald Trump (R)
| September 18, 2020 -
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1984
| Harvard Law School, 1993
| Mark C. Scarsi
| Donald Trump (R)
| September 18, 2020 -
| Syracuse University, 1987
| Georgetown University Law Center, 1996
| Stanley Blumenfeld
| Donald Trump (R)
| September 18, 2020 -
| State University of New York, Binghamton, 1984
| University of California, Los Angeles, 1988
| Fernando Aenlle-Rocha
| Donald Trump (R)
| December 22, 2020 -
| Princeton University, 1983
| University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, 1986
| Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong
| Joe Biden (D)
| February 7, 2022 -
| Harvard University
| Yale Law School
| Fred W. Slaughter
| Joe Biden (D)
| April 19, 2022 -
| University of California, Los Angeles
| University of California, Los Angeles
| Sunshine S. Sykes
| Joe Biden (D)
| June 14, 2022 -
| Stanford University
| Stanford Law School
| Sherilyn P. Garnett
| Joe Biden (D)
| June 24, 2022 -
| University of California, Riverside
| Harvard Law School
|
The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences. - Democrat appointed: 11
- Republican appointed: 13
Eastern District
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|
Kimberly Mueller
| Barack Obama (D)
| December 21, 2010 -
| Pomona College, 1981
| Stanford Law School, 1995
| Troy L. Nunley
| Barack Obama (D)
| March 26, 2013 -
| St. Mary's College of California, 1986
| University of California, 1990
| Dale A. Drozd
| Barack Obama (D)
| November 2, 2015 -
| California State University, San Diego, 1977
| University of California, Los Angeles, 1980
| Jennifer L. Thurston
| Joe Biden (D)
| December 27, 2021 -
| California State University, 1989
| California Pacific Law, 1997
| Ana I. de Alba
| Joe Biden (D)
| July 7, 2022 -
| University of California, Berkeley
| University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law
|
The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences. - Democrat appointed: 5
- Republican appointed: 0
Northern District
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|
Richard Seeborg
| Barack Obama (D)
| January 4, 2010 -
| Yale College, 1978
| Columbia University School of Law, 1981
| Edward J. Davila
| Barack Obama (D)
| March 3, 2011 -
| California State University, San Diego, 1976
| University of California, 1979
| Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers
| Barack Obama (D)
| November 21, 2011 -
| Princeton University, 1987
| University of Texas Law, 1991
| Jon S. Tigar
| Barack Obama (D)
| January 18, 2013 -
| Williams College, 1984
| University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, 1989
| William Orrick III
| Barack Obama (D)
| May 16, 2013 -
| Yale, 1976
| Boston College Law School, 1979
| Beth Labson Freeman
| Barack Obama (D)
| February 26, 2014 -
| University of California, Berkeley, 1976
| Harvard Law, 1979
| James Donato
| Barack Obama (D)
| February 26, 2014 -
| University of California, Berkeley, 1983
| Stanford Law, 1988
| Vince Girdhari Chhabria
| Barack Obama (D)
| March 7, 2014 -
| University of California, Santa Cruz, 1991
| University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, 1998
| Haywood Stirling Gilliam Jr.
| Barack Obama (D)
| December 19, 2014 -
| Yale University, 1991
| Stanford Law School, 1994
| Jacqueline Scott Corley
| Joe Biden (D)
| March 30, 2022 -
| University of California, Berkeley
| Harvard Law School
| Trina Thompson
| Joe Biden (D)
| August 5, 2022 -
| University of California, Berkeley
| University of California, Berkeley
|
The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences. - Democrat appointed: 11
- Republican appointed: 0
Southern District
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|
Dana Sabraw
| George W. Bush (R)
| September 26, 2003 -
| San Diego State University, 1980
| University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, 1985
| Janis Sammartino
| George W. Bush (R)
| September 21, 2007 -
| Occidental College, 1972
| University of Notre Dame Law School, 1975
| Cathy Bencivengo
| Barack Obama (D)
| February 10, 2012 -
| Rutgers University, 1980
| University of Michigan Law, 1988
| Gonzalo P. Curiel
| Barack Obama (D)
| October 1, 2012 -
| Indiana University, 1976
| Indiana University School of Law, 1979
| Cynthia A. Bashant
| Barack Obama (D)
| May 8, 2014 -
| Smith College, 1982
| University of California, 1986
| Todd Robinson
| Donald Trump (R)
| September 18, 2020 -
| University of California, Berkeley, 1989
| Georgetown University Law Center, 1993
| Linda Lopez
| Joe Biden (D)
| December 21, 2021 -
|
| University of Miami School of Law
| Jinsook Ohta
| Joe Biden (D)
| December 27, 2021 -
| Yale University, 1998
| New York University School of Law, 2001
| Ruth Bermudez Montenegro
| Joe Biden (D)
| March 30, 2022 -
| Clarion University, 1989
| University of California, Los Angeles, 1992
| Robert Huie
| Joe Biden (D)
| June 14, 2022 -
| Calvin College, 1998
| Yale Law School, 2002
|
The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences. - Democrat appointed: 7
- Republican appointed: 3
District mapJudicial selectionJudges who sit on the federal district courts
are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. These judges serve life terms. To read more about the judges on these courts, click
here. Bankruptcy courtsThere are four federal bankruptcy courts in California. The bankruptcy courts serve the same boundaries as the corresponding federal district courts. These courts have subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy
cases. The federal bankruptcy courts in California are: - United States bankruptcy court, Central District of California
- United States bankruptcy court, Eastern District of California
- United States bankruptcy court, Northern District of California
- United States bankruptcy court, Southern District of California
State supreme courtSee also: California Supreme Court
Founded in 1849, the California Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Tani Cantil-Sakauye.
As of March 2022, five judges on the court were appointed by Democratic governors and two judges were appointed by Republican governors. The following judges sit on the court:
| Judge | Appointed By |
|---|
Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye
| Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)
| Goodwin Liu
| Jerry Brown (D)
| Carol Corrigan
| Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)
| Leondra Kruger
| Jerry Brown (D)
| Joshua Groban
| Jerry Brown (D)
| Martin J. Jenkins
| Gavin Newsom (D)
| Patricia Guerrero
| Gavin Newsom (D)
|
State court of appealsSee also: California Courts of AppealThe California Courts of Appeal are the intermediate appellate courts in
California. The courts are divided into six judicial districts. Most of the cases that come before the courts of appeal involve the review of a superior court decision that is being contested by a party to the
case.[2][3] The following judges sit on the court: First District
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|
Jon B. Streeter
| 2014 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Tracie L. Brown
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Jeremy Goldman
| August 10, 2022 - Present
| Gavin Newsom
| Stuart Pollak
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Alison M. Tucher
| August 30, 2021 - Present
| Gavin Newsom
| Ioana Petrou
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Victor Rodriguez
|
| Gavin Newsom
| Carin Fujisaki
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| James M. Humes
| 2014 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Sandra Margulies
| 2002 - Present
| Gray Davis
| Kathleen M. Banke
| 2009 - Present
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
| James Richman
| 2006 - Present
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
| Therese M. Stewart
| 2014 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Marla J. Miller
| 2014 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Gordon Burns
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Teri L. Jackson
| August 30, 2021 - Present
| Gavin Newsom
| Mark Simons
| 2001 - Present
| Gray Davis
|
Second District
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|
Arthur Gilbert
| 1983 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Hernaldo Baltodano
| August 3, 2022 - Present
| Gavin Newsom
| Kenneth Yegan
| December 27, 1990 - Present
| George Deukmejian
| Victoria Gerrard Chaney
| July 1, 2009 - Present
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
| Helen Bendix
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Frances Rothschild
| April 4, 2005 - Present
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
| Elwood G. Lui
| May 22, 2015 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Brian M. Hoffstadt
| August 28, 2014 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Judith Ashmann-Gerst
| 2001 - Present
| Gray Davis
| Victoria Chavez
| October 28, 2005 - Present
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
| Luis A. Lavin
| 2015 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Anne Harwood Egerton
| 2017 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Lee Edmon
| August 8, 2014 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Thomas Willhite
| April 4, 2005 - Present
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
| Nora Manella
| May 22, 2006 - Present
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
| Brian S. Currey
| December 21, 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Audrey Collins
| June 28, 2014 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Carl H. Moor
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Dorothy C. Kim
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Laurence Rubin
| December 21, 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Lamar W. Baker
| May 22, 2015 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Gail Ruderman Feuer
| June 1, 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| John Segal
| 2015 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Dennis Perluss
| October 22, 2001 - Present
| Gray Davis
| Maria E. Stratton
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| John Shepard Wiley Jr.
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Elizabeth A. Grimes
| April 5, 2010 - Present
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
|
Third District
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|
Peter Krause
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Andrea L. Hoch
| November 23, 2010 - Present
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
| Ronald Robie
| January 15, 2002 - Present
| Gray Davis
| Harry Hull
| February 9, 1998 - Present
| Pete Wilson
| Elena J. Duarte
| November 23, 2010 - Present
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
| Louis R. Mauro
| August 11, 2010 - Present
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
| Laurie M. Earl
| January 6, 2022 - Present
| Gavin Newsom
| Jonathan Renner
| August 28, 2014 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Stacy Boulware Eurie
| August 4, 2022 - Present
| Gavin Newsom
|
Fourth District
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|
William S. Dato
| February 9, 2017 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Terry O'Rourke
| December 7, 1988 - Present
| Pete Wilson
| Richard Huffman
| October 13, 1988 - Present
| George Deukmejian
| Cynthia Aaron
| January 10, 2003 - Present
| Gray Davis
| Joan Irion
| September 25, 2003 - Present
| Gray Davis
| Truc Do
| January 14, 2021 - Present
| Gavin Newsom
| Martin Buchanan
| May 27, 2022 - Present
| Gavin Newsom
| Judith McConnell
| October 3, 2001 - Present
| Gray Davis
| Marsha Slough
| February 22, 2016 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Richard T. Fields
| February 9, 2017 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Art McKinster
| December 27, 1990 - Present
| George Deukmejian
| Douglas Miller
| June 9, 2006 - Present
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
| Michael J. Raphael
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Frank J. Menetrez
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Carol D. Codrington
| August 25, 2010 - Present
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
| Manuel Ramirez
| December 27, 1990 - Present
| George Deukmejian
| Maurice Sanchez
| January 6, 2022 - Present
| Gavin Newsom
| Thomas M. Goethals
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Joanne Motoike
| June 16, 2022 - Present
| Gavin Newsom
| Kathleen O'Leary
| January 21, 2000 - Present
| Gray Davis
| Eileen Moore
| December 22, 2000 - Present
| Gray Davis
| William Bedsworth
| April 15, 1997 - Present
| Pete Wilson
| Thomas A. Delaney
| October 11, 2022 - Present
| Gavin Newsom
|
Fifth District
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|
Thomas DeSantos
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Mark Wood Snauffer
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| M. Bruce Smith
| 2014 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Donald R. Franson Jr.
| 2010 - Present
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
| Brad Hill
| 2006 - Present
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
| Chuck Poochigian
| 2009 - Present
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
| Jennifer R.S. Detjen
| 2010 - Present
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
| Herbert I. Levy
| 1997 - Present
| Pete Wilson
| Rosendo Peña Jr.
| 2012 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Kathleen Meehan
| 2017 - Present
| Jerry Brown
|
Sixth District
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|
Adrienne M. Grover
| 2012 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Allison M. Danner
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Mary J. Greenwood
| 2018 - Present
| Jerry Brown
| Charles E. Wilson II
| August 30, 2021 - Present
| Gavin Newsom
| Cynthia C. Lie
| August 30, 2021 - Present
| Gavin Newsom
| Patricia Bamattre-Manoukian
| 1989 - Present
| George Deukmejian
|
Trial courtsSuperior courtsSee also: California Superior CourtsThe California Superior Courts are the trial courts of the California
court system. Each of California's 58 counties has a superior, or trial, court. Trials take place in the California Superior Court system in more than 450 courthouses. The superior courts hear civil and criminal cases, as well as family, probate, and juvenile cases.[4] In other statesClick the map below to explore the court
structure in other states. http://ballotpedia.org/Courts_in_STATE See also- Judicial selection in California
- California judicial elections
External links- Search Google News for this topic
- California Supreme Court website
Footnotes- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: California," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ California Courts, "About the 1st District," accessed March 9, 2021
- ↑
California Courts, "About California Courts," accessed March 3, 2021
- ↑ California Courts website
v • e Courts by state |
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How many Superior Court divisions are there in California?
California has 58 superior courts, one for each county in the state. Many court services are handled by the local courts directly. You can find addresses, web links, and jury information on this page after searching for the court you need.
How many Court of Appeal districts are there in California?
The California Courts of Appeal are divided into six appellate districts, based on geography.
How many divisions of court of appeals are there?
There are 13 appellate courts that sit below the U.S. Supreme Court, and they are called the U.S. Courts of Appeals. The 94 federal judicial districts are organized into 12 regional circuits, each of which has a court of appeals.
How many district courts are there in California?
The federal district courts are the trial courts in the federal court system. California has four federal district courts, which are the U.S. District Courts for the Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of California.
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