California’s Commission on Judicial Appointments this week confirmed Martin Jenkins to the state’s Supreme Court. Jenkins is the first openly gay justice confirmed to the state’s highest court and the third African American man to sit on that bench.
Via the Court: “A report by the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation found Justice Jenkins ‘exceptionally well qualified’—the highest possible rating—for service on the California Supreme Court. ‘He is praised for his brilliant intellect, first-class temperament, and boundless humanity,’ the report said.”
“Prior to his role in the Newsom administration, Justice Jenkins served as an associate justice on the First District Court of Appeal from 2008 to 2019. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 1997 and served on that bench until 2008. Justice Jenkins served as a judge on the Alameda County Superior Court (1992-1997) and on the Oakland Municipal Court (1989-1992). From 1986 to 1989, he was a trial attorney with the Pacific Bell Legal Department of San Francisco and from 1983 to 1986, he worked in the U.S. Department of Justice as a trial attorney litigating civil rights cases. From 1980 to 1983, he worked as a prosecutor for the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.”
