SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the appointment of Associate Justice James M. Humes as presiding justice, Division One and Therese M. Stewart to Division Two of the First District Court of Appeal.
Humes, 54, of San Francisco, has served as associate justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Four since 2012. He was executive secretary for legal affairs, administration and policy in the Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. from 2011 to 2012 and chief deputy attorney general at the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General from 2007 to 2011. Humes served in multiple positions at the California Department of Justice from 1993 to 2007, including chief assistant of the Civil Division and senior assistant attorney general of the Health, Education and Welfare Section. He was an associate at Banta Hoyt Banta Greene Hannen and Everall PC from 1986 to 1987, served as senior assistant attorney general at the Colorado Attorney General’s Office from 1984 to 1993 and was an associate at Jay Stuart Radetsky PC from 1983 to 1984. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Denver, a Master of Social Science degree from the University of Colorado and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Illinois State University.
Humes fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice James J. Marchiano. This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. The Commission consists of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and Senior Presiding Justice J. Anthony Kline. Humes is the first openly gay justice to serve on the California Court of Appeal. Humes is a Democrat.
Stewart, 57, of San Francisco, has served as chief deputy city attorney at the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office since 2002. She was a director at Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk and Rabkin PC from 1988 to 2002, where she was an associate from 1982 to 1988. She served as a law clerk for the Honorable Phyllis A. Kravitch at the U.S. Court of Appeal, Eleventh Circuit from 1981 to 1982. Stewart argued on behalf of the City and County of San Francisco in the trilogy of cases advocating for marriage equality for LGBT Californians in the California Supreme Court. She also led the team of San Francisco deputy city attorneys intervening as plaintiffs in the federal case challenging Proposition 8. Stewart earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University.
Stewart fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice James R. Lambden. This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. The Commission consists of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and Senior Presiding Justice J. Anthony Kline. Stewart will be the first openly lesbian justice to serve on the California Court of Appeal, if confirmed. Stewart is a Democrat.
The compensation for each of these positions is $207,463.