Governor Brown Fills California Supreme Court Vacancy

In an effort to fill the void of retiring Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar, Governor Jerry Brown has announced his latest choice for Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court.

Working as a senior advisor to Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. since 2011, Brown has bestowed his faith in 45 year-old Joshua Groban of Los Angeles. “Josh Groban has vast knowledge of the law and sound and practical judgement,” said Governor Brown. “He’ll be a strong addition to California’s highest court.”

Over the past 7 years under Governor Brown, Groban has overseen the appointment of approximately 600 judges which has been “lauded as the most diverse in the state’s history.” Previously to being brought onto the Brown administration, Groban worked as a high profile lawyer where he regularly handled policy issues such as education, criminal justice, national security and constitutional interpretation.

Retired justice of the California Supreme Court, Justice Carlos R. Moreno spoke highly of Brown’s choice saying “I am delighted to learn of Governor Brown’s nomination of Joshua Groban as an associate justice of the California Supreme Court. Josh has served the Governor and the State of California well for 8 years seeking the best-qualified candidates for appointment to the bench.”

After accepting the nomination, Groban stated “Serving the people of California over the past 8 years has been the privilege of a lifetime,” and “I am truly humbled by this nomination and, if confirmed, I look forward to working alongside the highest court’s truly exemplary jurists.”

Groban’s nomination will be reviewed and confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. Members of the Commission include Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Xavier Becerra and senior Presiding Justice of the state Court of Appeal J. Anthony Kline. Similar to Groban, they are all Democrats.