Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Page 3
Hearings Set Next Month for Two Court of Appeal Nominees
By a MetNews Staff Writer
The Commission on Judicial Appointments will meet in San Francisco June 28 to consider Gov. Jerry Brown’s nominees to fill a pair of Court of Appeal vacancies, the Administrative Office of the Courts said yesterday.
The commission will meet at 3 p.m. that day in the Supreme Court courtroom at 350 McAllister Street to consider the nomination of Orange Superior Court Judge David A. Thompson to the Fourth District’s Div. Three. If confirmed by the panel, he would succeed Justice Kathleen O’Leary, who was elevated to presiding justice.
The commission is then to consider the nomination of Santa Clara County Counsel Miguel Marquez at 4:30 p.m.. Marquez was tapped by Brown to succeed Sixth District Justice Richard McAdams, who retired.
Thompson has served on the trial court since 1997. Before that, he was an attorney with Morrison & Foerster from 1988 to 1997, Rutan & Tucker from 1983 to 1988, and a staff attorney at the Court of Appeal in 1983.
Marquez has served as county counsel since 2009. He was general counsel, and previously assistant general counsel, of the San Francisco Unified School District from 2006 to 2008.
Before that time, he was a deputy city attorney in San Francisco and deputy counsel for San Mateo County, as well as an attorney in private practice.
Under the state Constitution, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and Attorney General Kamala Harris will sit as members of the commission hearing both nominations. The Fourth District’s senior presiding justice, Manuel A. Ramirez of Div. Two, will sit as the third member considering Thompson’s nomination, while Sixth District Presiding Justice Conrad Rushing will fill that seat when the commission considers Marquez.
The AOC said that persons who wish to speak at the hearings must give written notice by June 21 by writing to Commission on Judicial Appointments c/o Chief Justice of California, Supreme Court of California, 350 McAllister Street, San Francisco, California 94102, Attention: Secretary to the Commission.
The AOC also said that “anyone wishing to testify before the commission must state that request in writing and include a summary of the facts on which any testimony or opinion will be based,” and that requests to speak must be received by 5 p.m. on June 21.
Copyright 2012, Metropolitan News Company