New Justice & New PJ!

Governor Gavin Newsom today announced his nomination of two Court of Appeal Justices: Judge Tara Desautels as an Associate Justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Two and Justice Gonzalo Martinez as Presiding Justice of the Second District Court of Appeal, Division Seven.

The Governor also announced his appointment of 14 Superior Court Judges, which include two in Contra Costa County; two in Los Angeles County; one in Placer County; one in Riverside County; one in Sacramento County; one in San Diego County; one in San Joaquin County; one in San Mateo County; three in Santa Clara County; and one in Solano County.
 
First District Court of Appeal

Judge Tara Desautels, of Alameda County, has been nominated to serve as an Associate Justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Two. She has served as a Judge at the Alameda County Superior Court since 2010. Judge Desautels was a Senior Associate at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP from 2005 to 2010. She served as a Deputy District Attorney at the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office from 1997 to 2005. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. She fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Justice Therese Stewart as Presiding Justice. This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, which consists of Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Senior Presiding Justice Jim Humes. Judge Desautels is a Democrat.
 
Second District Court of Appeal

Justice Gonzalo Martinez, of Los Angeles County, has been nominated to serve as Presiding Justice of the Second District Court of Appeal, Division Seven, where he has served as an Associate Justice since 2023. Justice Martinez served as Deputy Judicial Appointments Secretary in the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom from 2019 to 2023. He served as a Deputy Solicitor General in the California Attorney General’s Office from 2017 to 2019 and was a Partner in the Appellate and Supreme Court Practice Group at Squire Patton Boggs from 2007 to 2017 and in 2019. Justice Martinez served as a Law Clerk at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 2010 and at the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California in 2007. He was an Associate at Coblentz Patch Duffy and Bass LLP from 2005 to 2007 and at Morrison & Foerster LLP from 2003 to 2005. Justice Martinez earned a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School and a Master of Arts degree in English from Stanford University. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Presiding Justice Dennis M. Perluss. This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, which consists of Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Senior Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert. He is a Democrat.
 
The compensation for each of these positions is $272,902.

The DJ has Governor announces picks for courts of appeal, trial courts

The Recorder has Alameda County Judge Tara Desautels Nominated to First District Appellate Court -- Gov. Gavin Newsom also nominated Associate Justice Gonzalo Martinez of the Second District Court of Appeal to be the presiding justice of that court's Division Seven.