"Judicial appointments treadmill"

The DJ has Newsom has struggled to replace departing judges -- According to figures compiled by the Daily Journal, at least 87 California judges and justices have retired this year through November — a number will probably rise significantly once retirements through the end of the year are tallied — along with four deaths among sitting judges.

• Gov. Gavin Newsom found himself on a judicial appointments treadmill in 2023: he’s been appointing judges faster than any governor in recent history, but he’s barely kept up with a historic wave of retirements.
• Through Dec. 26, Newsom has appointed 134 superior court judges and 12 appellate justices in 2023. This total of 146 is the most since Gov. Jerry Brown appointed 193 judges and justices in 2018 and the first two days of 2019.
• According to the monthly Judicial Vacancy reports published by the Judicial Council, there were 125 vacancies on Jan. 1, 111 on superior courts and 14 on the appellate bench. On Nov. 1, the most recent date currently available, there were 95 open seats, 89 on superior courts and 6 on the appellate bench. The vacancy numbers could drop again when they are adjusted to reflect 18 superior court judges and two appellate justices he appointed on Dec. 7.

CEB has posted its annual webinar Key Developments in Appellate Practice 2023, featuring Justices Hoffstadt and Kim.