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Pro tems for December calendar will make a majority-female court

November 24, 2021

There is a vacancy on the Supreme Court because of Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar’s retirement last month.  Until a replacement is appointed, confirmed, and sworn in, the court will enlist Court of Appeal justices to sit pro tem.

The court today announced the pro tems — assigned on a mostly alphabetical basis — for the December calendar (linked post includes descriptions of the cases’ issues).

All three pro tems are women, which means the December cases will be heard by a majority-female court.  The court had a permanent female majority for a number of years until Justice Kathryn Werdegar’s retirement in 2017.

The December pro tems are:

Berroteran v. Superior Court:  Second District, Division Four, Presiding Justice Nora Manella.

Lopez v. Ledesma:  Fifth District Justice Kathleen Meehan.

Sheen v. Wells Fargo Bank:  Fourth District, Division One, Presiding Justice Judith McConnell.

Related:

“Newsom, make history, appoint a Latina to the Supreme Court”

Article discusses the quiet advent of a female majority on the California Supreme Court

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