Cuéllar to leave Supreme Court for think tank

The Recorder has Cuéllar to Leave California Supreme Court for International Think Tank

Associate Justice Mariano-Florentino “Tino” Cuéllar has announced he will leave the California Supreme Court to lead the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the think tank announced Thursday.

One of the most liberal members of California’s high court, Cuéllar, 49, has not yet publicly announced when he will leave the court. The Carnegie Endowment said he will start work there on Nov. 1.

Official statement here:

California Supreme Court Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar will serve as the new president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. His last day on the bench will be Oct. 31.

Cuéllar issued the following statement today:

I have been fortunate to serve the people of California for nearly seven years on our highest court 

  — a distinction I could not have imagined when I first arrived here as a high school student in the

Imperial Valley. I will miss the wisdom and generosity of my colleagues as we’ve sought to honor

our society’s commitment to impartial justice in a vast and diverse state. All of us recognize the

continual effort and dedication it takes to safeguard freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.

For more than a century, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has worked on closely

related challenges on a global scale. It will be an honor to serve as its leader and to apply some

of the insights rooted in my experience in California as it endeavors to address our most pressing

global challenges.”