Gilbert Hails Nomination of Cody as Court of Appeal Presiding Justice

Thursday, June 4, 2026

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Gilbert Hails Nomination of Cody as Court of Appeal Presiding Justice

Daum Is Chosen as Associate Justice

By a MetNews Staff Writer

Arthur Gilbert, who served as presiding justice of Div. Six of this district’s Court of Appeal from Nov. 9, 1999, until last Jan. 1, has hailed the nomination by Gov. Gavin Newsom of Terri Cody as successor.

Cody is an associate justice in Div. Six. She has served in that capacity since 2023 and was a Ventura Superior Court judge from 2000-23.

Gilbert, who was appointed to Div. Six as an associate justice in 1982, was a regarded as master of succinctness—a skill Cody is viewed as having demonstrated. The former presiding justice remarked:

“My colleague and friend Justice Cody is the ideal to carry on the tradition of Division Six. Her intellect hits the stratosphere. She is well prepared and has remarkable insight into all our cases. She puts in hours of work and preparation. She claims she gets adequate sleep. She treats litigants, attorneys, staff with warmth and respect.

“Congratulations to soon to be Presiding Justice Cody and hurray for Division Six. And hurray for me. I can rest easy now that I know Division Six will have an outstanding presiding justice.”

Elevation of Daum

Also coming before that body for approval will be Newsom’s nomination of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Nicholas Daum as a justice of Div. Four in this district’s Court of Appeal. He has been at his present post since 2022 and was an associate, then a partner, at Kendall Brill & Kelly from 2009-22.

His law degree is from Yale.

Daum will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Audrey B. Collins.

The nominations are subject to confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments comprised of Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and this district’s senior presiding justice, Francis Rothschild.

Superior Court Appointments

Newsom on Tuesday also made four appointments to the Los Angeles Superior Court. Those chosen are:

•Los Angeles Superior Court research attorney David Perkiss, a UCLA law school graduate.

•Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Mahin Salehi, whose law degree is from Loyola.

•Adam Romero, chief deputy director of the California Department of Industrial Relations, an alumnus of Yale Law School.

•Jennifer Salzman Romano, a partner in Crowell & Moring, whose law degree is from the University of California, Berkeley.

Also nominated to Court of Appeal posts were Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Sonny S. Sandhu, as a justice of the Fifth District, and Santa Clara Superior Court Judge Charles Adams, as a member of the Sixth District.