Appellate appointments!

 Second District Court of Appeal

Justice Maria E. Stratton, 69, of Los Angeles, has been nominated to serve as Presiding Justice of the Second District Court of Appeal, Division Eight. She has served as an Associate Justice of the Second District Court of Appeal, Division Eight since 2018. Justice Stratton served as a Judge at the Los Angeles County Superior Court from 2006 to 2018. She served as Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California from 1993 to 2006 and held several positions at Talcott, Lightfoot, Vandevelde, Woehrle and Sadowsky from 1985 to 1993, including Managing Partner, Partner and Associate. She was an Associate at Overland, Berke, Wesley, Gits, Randolph and Levanas from 1984 to 1985. Stratton served as a Deputy Federal Public Defender at the Office of the Federal Public Defender, Central District of California from 1981 to 1984 and as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Harry Pregerson at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1979 to 1981. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Tricia Ann Bigelow. This position requires the completion of a review by the State Bar’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation and confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. The Commission consists of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Senior Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert. Justice Stratton is a Democrat.
 
Fourth District Court of Appeal

Martin N. Buchanan, 60, of San Diego, has been nominated to serve as an Associate Justice of the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division One. Buchanan has been a Sole Practitioner since 2010. He was a Partner at Niddrie, Fish & Buchanan LLP from 2005 to 2010 and a Sole Practitioner from 2004 to 2005 and 1992 to 2003. Buchanan served as a Research Attorney at the Fourth District Court of Appeal from 2003 to 2004 and was a Staff Attorney at Appellate Defenders Inc. from 1990 to 1992. He was an Associate at Remcho, Johansen & Purcell from 1988 to 1990 and at Farnsworth, Saperstein & Seligman from 1987 to 1988. He served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Robert F. Peckham at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California from 1986 to 1987. Buchanan earned a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Patricia D. Benke. This position requires the completion of a review by the State Bar’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation and confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. The Commission on Judicial Appointments consists of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Senior Presiding Justice Manuel A. Ramirez. Buchanan is a Democrat.
 
The compensation for each of these positions is $257,562.