DJ profiles Justice Cuéllar

Today's DJ profiles Justice Tino Cuéllar in Pragmatism has guided Cuéllar on state high court. Some snippets:

• "trial court deference is a way of life" in his household, referring to his wife, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh
• "I do think that the institution has benefited historically from having people who didn't all spend their careers doing one thing or another thing"
• Cuéllar said ... that he's come to appreciate the challenges in crafting majority opinions that capture the differing perspectives on the court but are also clear for the lower courts. But the justices strive to accommodate differing views and be flexible to reach consensus as much as possible, he said. "We do our best to resolve the cases as they come to us, and that may lead some people to be surprised by where we land"
• Cuéllar is particularly active in public life. He chairs the state's Language Access Plan Implementation Task Force, which works to provide Californians with limited English proficiency with interpreters and appropriate technology in the courts, and often participates in outreach events with youth and in academic settings, including Comic-Con panels discussing the legal implications of "Star Trek" and "Star Wars."