Newsom releases the name of everyone on commmittees that will recommend judges

In a break from previous administrations, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday unveiled all 111 attorneys on his committees assigned to help him choose judges.

According to information released by Newsom's office, he has named representatives to eight Regional Judicial Selection Advisory Committees, each with between 11 and 19 members. The group includes 50 current or retired superior court judges, 17 current or retired appellate justices and numerous prominent attorneys.

There are some notable selections, including Facebook Deputy General Counsel Paul S. Grewal and Madison B. Fairchild, a trans woman and activist with the TransLatin@ Coalition.

Overall, the selections were nearly half women and around a third people of color. In its news release, Newsom's office said the administration consulted with numerous women's, minority and LGBT lawyers' groups on the appointments.

These groups are also spending more time talking to each other, said Andrew W. Houston, new president of the California Association of Black Lawyers. He said his group met with Martin J. Jenkins -- who retired from the 1st District Court of Appeal to become Newsom's Judicial Appointments Secretary -- in Sacramento during its annual legislative day in March.

"We just reiterated to him the importance of judicial diversity on the bench because it increases public confidence in the court, it provides decision-making power to formerly disenfranchised populations, and it's just essential to ensuring equal justice for all," Houston said.

He said his group met with Jenkins again last month in the Bay Area, along with several other organizations representing diverse groups of lawyers.

Among the picks, the Oakland-based Houston in particularly praised Newsom's naming of two prominent black lawyers from his area: Diana Becton, a former judge who was elected Contra Costa County district attorney last year, and Alameda County Superior Court Judge Colin T. Bowen.

Oscar H. Gutierrez, president of the Mexican American Bar Association of Los Angeles County, said the newly-elected Newsom administration reached out to his group when he was choosing a judicial appointments secretary. Two of the names they suggested made it onto the Los Angeles committee: retired state Supreme Court Justice Carlos R. Moreno, and Luis J. Rodriguez, a division chief with the Los Angeles County public defender's office.

Gutierrez added that in April Jenkins spoke to several minority bar groups at an event hosted by the Los Angeles County Bar Association on how to suggest strong, qualified judicial candidates.

"We're happy to see that these folks' names are released so we'll have more transparency throughout the judicial selection process," Gutierrez said.

Publicly releasing the list allows Newsom to signal his interest in further diversifying the state's judiciary at a time when he has relatively few potential judicial appointments to make. According to the latest judicial vacancy report from the Judicial Council, there are just 20 superior court judgeships and one appellate justice slot vacant.

Brown touted the many "firsts" among his judicial picks. Some of these will help pick the next round of judges for Newsom, such as Sonia Cortes, the first Latina judge in Yolo County, and Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Rupa S. Goswami, the first South Asian woman ever appointed to the bench in California.

The move also addresses a longtime criticism of the advisory committees: that only powerful attorneys in a given area knew who served on them, and could lobby members on behalf of themselves or allies who wanted a spot on the bench.

"The people of our state have little insight on the process by which judges are chosen, it is only fair that the public knows who is helping to select the people who will serve them," Newsom said in a press release.

The names also include three past presidents of the Consumer Attorneys of California: Greg L. Bentley of Bentley & More LLP, Niall P. McCarthy of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy LLP, and Mark P. Robinson Jr. of Robinson Calcagnie Robinson Shapiro.

Newsom's list features some holdovers from the Brown administration. As compiled from confidential sources or JSAC communications obtained by The Daily Journal, these include: Jeremiah F. Hallisey, a partner with Hallisey & Johnson, on the Bay Area committee; attorneys Thomas V. Girardi of Girardi & Keese and Eric M. George of Browne George Ross LLP on the Los Angeles committee; and Administrative Presiding Justice Judith D. McConnell of the 4th District Court of Appeal and Jerrilyn T. Malana, chief deputy in the San Diego County district attorney's office on the San Diego committee.