Newsom Appoints Black, Gay Former Judge To CA Supreme Court

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Gov. Gavin Newsom named Martin Jenkins Monday to the California Supreme Court. The former prosecutor and judge would be the first openly gay man on the state's Supreme Court and the third Black man to serve on the state's highest court.

Jenkins is a 66-year-old Democrat and a San Francisco native, with a career that spans over four decades. He has been considered for the as a candidate for the California Supreme Court in years past.

He has served as Judicial Appointments Secretary for Newsom since Jan. 14, 2019.

"There's a significant responsibility that goes with being first," Jenkins said at the governor's news presser Monday. "I think it would be best dispatched in doing the work at the highest level, I possibly can."

Jenkins is also a former pro football player who was a rookie cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks in 1977. He left the NFL to enroll in University of San Francisco's School of Law.

It has been 29 years since a Black man has served on the California Supreme Court.

He would fill a vacancy on the court left by the Aug. 31 retirement of Justice Ming W. Chin, a 78-year-old Republican.

“Justice Jenkins is widely respected among lawyers and jurists, active in his Oakland community and his faith, and is a decent man to his core,” Newsom said in a statement Monday. “As a critical member of my senior leadership team, I’ve seen firsthand that Justice Jenkins possesses brilliance and humility in equal measure. The people of California could not ask for a better jurist or kinder person to take on this important responsibility.”

Jenkins has worked as a trial attorney for the Pacific Bell Legal Department of San Francisco, then served on the Oakland Municipal Court from 1982-92 and as a judge on the Alameda County Superior Court from 1992 until 97.

He was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 1997 and served until 2008. Later, he served as an associate justice on the state's Court of Appeal, First Appellate District from 2008-19.

"I want to say to some young person who may be out there today who is struggling with their identity," Jenkins said Monday. "...my identity has been as a gay man, perhaps the greatest challenge of my life and it has not been easy."