Appellate Justice Patricia Guerrero confirmed to state high court

After Patricia Guerrero was confirmed to the state Supreme Court on Tuesday by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, she turned and embraced her father, Jorge, for a long time.

Guerrero's speech -- after an hourlong hearing featuring praise of her legal acumen and dedication to teaching the legal system to young students -- was an emotional tribute to her mother, who died of breast cancer last year.

"She taught me the importance of family," Guerrero said, holding back tears. "She sacrificed everything for us."

Guerrero, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, will be sworn in next week by Gov. Gavin Newsom as the first Latina justice on the state Supreme Court. She will succeed Mariano-Florentino Cuellar, who resigned last fall to become president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"My grandparents and parents came here to give better lives to their children," she said. "This is not just about me. It's about others who are just like us. With hard work and perseverance, anything is possible."

Guerrero grew up in Imperial County with her sister. Her father was a cowboy who worked at feedlots. Her mother worked as a babysitter.

The 4th District Court of Appeal justice, who previously was a San Diego County Superior Court judge and a partner at Latham & Watkins LLP, sailed through her confirmation hearing.

Stella Ngai, chair of the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation, hailed Guerrero as "exceptionally well qualified," citing her experience as a superior court judge, appellate justice, law firm partner, and briefly an assistant U.S. attorney.

Guerrero, she said, is "universally lauded for her superior intellect, clear writing, judicial temperament, work ethic and compassion."

The commission -- consisting of Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and 4th District Court of Appeal Justice Manuel A. Ramirez -- approved her nomination unanimously.

Guerrero is Newsom's second pick for the Supreme Court. Unlike his predecessor, Gov. Jerry Brown, who named several academics and lawyers whose experience was largely from outside California, Newsom has named state appellate justices to the high court.

Newsom's first pick was state Supreme Court Justice Martin J. Jenkins, who served on the 1st District Court of Appeal after a stint on the federal bench.

Liberal groups had pushed for Newsom to choose a Latina to replace Cuellar, who was the only Hispanic on the court in a state with a population that is 40% Latino.

While some advisers wanted a nominee with a background in public interest law or defense work, Guerrero was regarded as a safe choice who would satisfy a key Democratic constituency and fill a void on the court.

She graduated from UC Berkeley and Stanford Law School.

Latham & Watkins partner Robert M. Howard, who testified on Guerrero's behalf at the hearing, said they had offices next to each other and worked on the same trials for more than a decade.

"Trish was regarded as one of the firm's best legal writers," he said.

At the firm, Guerrero handled complex environmental litigation.

San Diego County Assistant Presiding Judge Maureen F. Hallahan worked with Guerrero after Brown appointed her to the court in 2013, where she handled a family law calendar.

"She succeeded me as supervising judge of family court and ushered in a new case management system," Hallahan said.

4th District Court of Appeal Administrative Presiding Justice Judith McConnell said she recommended Guerrero to Newsom's judicial appointments secretary, Luis Cespedes.

"I told him I had the perfect candidate to replace Justice Cuellar," McConnell said, then bemoaned the loss to her court. "In recommending her, I shot myself in the foot."

Guerrero is married with two teenage sons, one of whom attended Tuesday's hearing. The other, who is sick, watched remotely.

Newsom was scheduled to swear in Guerrero on Monday, according to a court representative.