San Diego Justice Patricia Guerrero was approved by a 3-0 vote of the Commission on Judicial Appointments to fill the vacancy on the California Supreme Court left by Associate Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, who stepped down last year.
According to Administrative Presiding Justice Judith McConnell, Guerrero’s name came immediately to mind to replace Associate Justice Cuéllar, who now leads the Washington think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Guerrero, 50, is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and grew up in the agricultural Imperial Valley, where she graduated from Imperial High School. During college, she worked to support herself through the University of California, Berkeley, having earned grades among the top 4 percent in her class.
In 1997, she earned her juris doctorate at Stanford Law School.
She began her law career in 2003 at Latham and Watkins LLP, becoming a partner in 2007. A few years later, former California Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Guerrero to the San Diego Superior Court bench in 2013 and then to the court of appeal.
She worked in the family court as a judge and eventually ascended to the supervising judge.
"Those of us who have served in the family court now what a difficult challenge assignment it is. And yet, she received the highest honor from the San Diego family law bar, a bar which is known for ripping judges to shreds,” McConnell said.
Guerrero was praised by colleagues and members of the panel that included Attorney General Rob Bonta and Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye.
She dedicated the nomination to her mother who recently passed away after fighting breast cancer. She thanked her father Jorge, who sat in the courtroom with her husband and teenage sons.
“I'm humbled to be here, recognizing the historical significance of this. I’m not here on my own. I stand on the shoulders of my grandparents and my parents who came to this country even though it would be a struggle for them,” Guerrero said. “Like so many immigrant families, they came here to work hard, to seek opportunities, and to give better lives to their children. I'm thankful for that.”
