Supreme Court of California: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

The Supreme Court of California is the state supreme court in California. It regularly holds sessions in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Sacramento. Its decisions are binding on all other California state courts.

The court consists of one Chief Justice and six Associate Justices who are appointed by the Governor of California for 12-year terms. The appointments are confirmed by the public at the next general election. According to the California Constitution, to be considered for an appointment, a person must be an attorney admitted to practice in California or have served as a judge of a California court for 10 years immediately preceding the appointment.

Current Chief Justice Ronald M. George was appointed as 27th Chief Justice of California on March 28, 1996 by Governor Pete Wilson. He was confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments on May 1, 1996, and took his oath the same day.

Reflecting the state that it serves, the Court is very diverse, with three women justices, one Asian justice and an African-American justice. The Court currently has 6 Republicans and 1 Democrat, although the Republicans tend to be moderate. Perhaps the most notable exception is the more extreme Janice Rogers Brown, who has occasionally clashed with the more moderate Chief Justice George and others on the bench. This tendency has gotten her noticed by President George W. Bush, who has nominated her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Democrats have successfully blocked her nomination, along with the nominations of a handful of other Bush nominees that Democrats charge are too conservative.

Justices

• Ronald M. George, (since 1991), Chief Justice (elevated in 1996)
• Marvin R. Baxter, (since 1991), Associate Justice
• Janice R. Brown, (since 1996), Associate Justice
• Ming W. Chin, (since 1996), Associate Justice
• Joyce L. Kennard, (since 1989), Associate Justice
• Carlos R. Moreno, (since 2001), Associate Justice
• Kathryn Mickle Werdegar, (since 1994), Associate Justice