California intermediate appellate court elections, 2026
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The terms of forty-nine California intermediate appellate court judges will expire on January 4, 2027. The forty-nine seats are up for retention election on November 3, 2026.
Judges with expiring terms
- This is a list of the judges who must stand for retention election in 2026 in order to remain on the bench. Judges may choose not to stand for election. The list is subject to change if judges retire or are appointed.
California First District Court of Appeal
■ Charles A. Smiley III
■ Kathleen M. Banke
■ Monique Langhorne Wilson
■ Tara M. Desautels
■ Therese M. Stewart
■ Carin Fujisaki
■ Ioana Petrou
■ Mark Simons
■ Danny Y. Chou
■ Gordon Burns
California Second District Court of Appeal
■ Michelle Kim
■ Gregory Weingart
■ Anne Richardson
■ Lee Edmon
■ Mark Hanasono
■ Rashida Adams
■ Armen Tamzarian
■ Audra Mori
■ Brian M. Hoffstadt
■ Kenneth Yegan
■ Tari Cody
■ Gonzalo Martinez
■ Natalie Stone
■ Victor Viramontes
■ John Shepard Wiley, Jr.
California Third District Court of Appeal
■ Aimee Feinberg
■ Jonathan Renner
■ Ronald Robie
■ Stacy Boulware Eurie
■ Shama Mesiwala
■ Elena J. Duarte
California Fourth District Court of Appeal
■ Julia Craig Kelety
■ Truc Do
■ Jose Scher Castillo
■ Terry O'Rourke
■ David Rubin
■ Michael J. Raphael
■ Nathan Scott
■ Joanne Motoike
■ Thomas A. Delaney
■ Martha K. Gooding
California Fifth District Court of Appeal
■ Rosendo Peña, Jr.
■ Kathleen Meehan
■ Mark Wood Snauffer
■ Thomas DeSantos
California Sixth District Court of Appeal
■ Charles E. Wilson II
■ Daniel H. Bromberg
■ Adrienne M. Grover
■ Allison M. Danner
Voting information
- See also: Voting in California
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Selection
The 106 judges of the California Courts of Appeal are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. The state bar's Commission on Judicial Nominee Evaluation—also known as the "Jenny Commission"—is required to perform an extensive investigation on prospective appointees. The commission recommends candidates to the governor after examining their qualifications and fitness, ranking them as exceptionally well qualified, well qualified, qualified, or not qualified. The commission is composed of attorneys and public members.[1][2] Although the governor is not bound to these recommendations, the Commission on Judicial Appointments can approve or veto the appointment by majority vote.[3]
Following confirmation from the Commission on Judicial Appointments, the appointed justice is sworn into office and is subject to voter approval at the next gubernatorial election. The appointed justice must be confirmed by voters via a yes-no retention election. According to the California Constitution, the term for a court of appeals justice is 12 years. If retained by the voters, the appointed justice remains in office but their term may depend on their predecessor's term. If the predecessor served part of their term before leaving office, the appointed justice would be retained to serve the remainder of their predecessor's term. This would be for either four or eight years. At the end of that term, the justice again must be confirmed by the voters at a gubernatorial election to begin a new 12-year term.[4][5] If a justice has been appointed to a seat where the predecessor's term would have expired the January 1 immediately after that November gubernatorial election, then the justice would serve a full 12-year term.[6]
Qualifications
To serve as a justice, a candidate must have practiced law for at least 10 years in California or served as a judge in California for at least 10 years.[6]
Presiding justice
The court uses the same process described above for selecting a presiding justice. The presiding justice for each district is chosen by the governor and is confirmed by the commission. In a court of appeals with more than one division, the chief justice of the supreme court may select a presiding justice to act as the administrative presiding justice. The administrative presiding justice serves for a period specified in the designation order. In a court of appeals with only one division, the presiding justice acts as the administrative presiding justice.[7]
Vacancies
Vacancies are filled by gubernatorial appointment. Appointed judges are required to participate in yes-no retention elections occurring at the time of the next gubernatorial race, which is held every four years.[8]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The State Bar of California, "Background," accessed March 27, 2023
- ↑ The State Bar of California, "Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation," accessed March 27, 2023
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Judicial Selection: An Interactive Map," accessed March 23, 2023
- ↑ California Legislative Information, "Article VI Judicial Sec. 16.," accessed March 27, 2023
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Justices of the Supreme Court," accessed March 27, 2023
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 California Courts, "Judicial Selection: How California Chooses Its Judges and Justices," accessed March 27, 2023
- ↑ California Courts, "Rule 10.1004. Court of Appeal administrative presiding justice," accessed March 27, 2023
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Judicial Selection: An Interactive Map," accessed March 23, 2023
Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California
State courts:
California Supreme Court • California Courts of Appeal • California Superior Courts
State resources:
Courts in California • California judicial elections • Judicial selection in California
