It's official! We have some PJs and Justices...

Commission Confirms Appointments to Court of Appeal, First and Second Appellate Districts

SAN FRANCISCO—Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye, Chair of the Commission on Judicial Appointments, announced that the commission today confirmed the following appointments by Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. to the Court of Appeal, First Appellate District (San Francisco), and Second Appellate District (Los Angeles).

• Associate Justice James M. Humes, Court of Appeal, First Appellate District as Presiding Justice (San Francisco). He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Presiding Justice James J. Marchiano.


• Ms. Therese M. Stewart, Chief Deputy Attorney at the San Francisco City Attorneys Office as Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division Two (San Francisco). She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Associate Justice James R. Lambden.


• Associate Justice Frances Rothschild, Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division One as Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division (Los Angeles). She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Presiding Justice Robert M. Mallano.


• Judge Audrey B. Collins, U.S. District Court, Central District of California as Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Four (Los Angeles). She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Associate Justice Steven Suzukawa.

The appointments were each approved by a unanimous vote at the public hearings held in the Supreme Court Courtroom in the Ronald M. George State Office Complex, Earl Warren Building, 350 McAllister Street, Fourth Floor, San Francisco.
===============
Also, yesterday the Governor appointed a bunch of superior court judges, including some with appellate backgrounds: Matthew Braner in San Diego was the "supervisor at the San Diego County Primary Public Defender’s Office, Writs and Appeals Unit since 2009" and Joshua Weinstein in Santa Clara "served as a judicial staff attorney at the First District Court of Appeal since 2008 ... Weinstein was a staff attorney at the Sixth District Appellate Program from 1994 to 1998, a training supervisor at the Washington Appellate Defender Association from 1990 to 1994 ...."
==================
In our "what do you call opposing counsel" department, rather than pejorative names, we offer this Wall St. Journal article about calling the other side "friend": Chief Turns High Court Into Friendliest Bar in Washington.