California Chief Judge: Brown-Appointed Attorneys More Representative Of General Population

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California's chief justice is praising the racial and gender diversity of judges appointed to the state courts by former Gov. Jerry Brown.

Tani Cantil-Sakauye said Tuesday during her annual address to California lawmakers that Brown had breathed new life into the courts. She noted that more than half of the roughly 600 judges Brown appointed are women and 41 percent identify as a race other than white.

She said the state courts are now more representative of the communities they serve. She also praised the leadership roles of women in California, citing Gov. Gavin Newsom's wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis.

But she said the civil rights work that began in the 1950s remains unfinished. She cited the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements as evidence.