First Latina Justice Nominated to California Supreme Court

California Governor Gavin Newsom made an important announcement last week: that he has nominated Patricia Guerrero to fill a vacancy on the California Supreme Court. If confirmed, Guerrero will become the first Latina to serve in that role.

Who is Patricia Guerrero?

Guerrero, who is fifty years old, was raised in the Imperial Valley in Southern California by parents who had immigrated from Mexico. Guerrero attributes her love of reading and education to her mother, and her belief in hard work to her father, who was a field worker. She attended the University of California, Berkeley, as an undergraduate, working her way through college with a job at a grocery store. Guerrero graduated magna cum laude and then went on to receive her law degree from Stanford Law School. While there, she was also active in the Latino Law Students Association.

Guerrero has been a trial court judge at the San Diego Superior Court; a partner at a major law firm; and an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of California. Since 2017, she has served as a justice for the California 4^th District Court of Appeal. At the same time, she also served as a supervising judge for the court’s family law division. In addition to these responsibilities, Guerrero has donated her time to provide free (pro bono) legal counsel to families struggling with fair housing and immigration issues as a member of the Immigration Justice Project advisory board. In his nomination statement, Governor Newsom expressed that this wide range of experience will serve Guerrero well as a member of the State Supreme Court.

Giving Latinas a Voice

The state of California currently has about 7.7 million women of Latin American descent. In fact, Latinas make up nearly twenty percent of the state’s total population. Yet, this demographic group has received no representation in their state’s Supreme Court. Having a Latina on the bench of California’s highest court to hear cases that directly affect them will give a voice to these 7.7 million Americans. The Court sometimes hears legal arguments on immigration and discriminatory work practices that directly relate to the lives of Latinas. Guerrero’s nomination lends geographic diversity as well: if confirmed, she will be the first San Diego judge to sit on the State Supreme Court in nearly a century.

What Happens Next?

Governor Newsom‘s nomination must be submitted to the State Bar of California’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation. Then it must be confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. If approved, she will take the vacant seat left by Associate Justice Mariano-Florentino Cueller, who retired from the bench in October 2021.

Dig Deeper This is not the first time that Governor Newsom has made an historic nomination to the state Supreme Court. Why was Justice Martin Jenkins’ appointment in 2020 also significant? In your opinion, is it important to increase diversity in the judicial branch? Why or why not?