Kate Moser at the Recorder reports that many consider "First District Court of Appeal Justice Maria Rivera as a likely candidate. Beyond Rivera, whose political affiliation is registered as decline-to-state, the prospects on the court of appeal are slim. No Latino appeal court justices in California are registered Democrats, [former La Raza Lawyers of California president Christopher] Arriola says. Beyond the courts of appeal, Arriola said possible Latino nominees are Ninth Circuit Judge Kim Wardlaw, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Katherine Lucero and her colleague, Edward Davila."
(Justice Rivera, shown receiving the 2010 USF Law School Alumna of the Year award)
For her part, Justice Rivera suggests “her colleague, First District Justice Martin Jenkins , as a prime contender. ‘I think the name that's first on the list is Justice Jenkins, and he would be a marvelous, marvelous Supreme Court justice,’ Rivera said.”
Moser notes “Jenkins’ credentials have the added bonus of a bipartisan air, since he's gotten his appointments from both Republicans and Democrats.” And “[i]n addition to his credentials, Jenkins is also popular, [appellate specialist Jon] Eisenberg said. ‘Everybody loves the guy,’ Eisenberg said. ‘He's a genuinely warm, friendly, engaging fella. That counts for a lot when you're on a court of seven.’”
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