California Courts Look Like California Itself

SACRAMENTO (CN) - More than half of Gov. Jerry Brown's 2011 judicial appointees identify themselves as minorities, and about one-third are women, according to the Governor's Office.

Brown made 768 judicial appointments, according to a yearly report required by Senate Bill 56 (2006).

Those appointed include Kathleen O'Leary, the first female judge to serve on the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Three; Goodwin Liu, who was appointed to the California Supreme Court; and Raquel Marquez the first Latina judge in Riverside County history.

According to the 2010 Census, California's population was about 38 percent Latino, 13 percent Asian, 6 percent black, 1 percent Native American, and 40 percent Caucasian. About 5 percent identified themselves as of two or more races.

Under S.B. Bill 56, the governor must disclose statewide demographic data provided by all judicial applicants, relative to ethnicity and gender, by March 1 each year.

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