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