California judicial elections:

The current Supreme Court has four Democratic appointees and three Republican appointees.

California has no judicial elections in 2020.

California Court System

Supreme Court

The highest court in the state of California is the Supreme Court, which consists of seven justices-one chief justice and six associate justices. The Supreme Court is the final court of appeal for all interpretations of California law and the California Constitution.

Supreme Court justices are appointed by the governor of California and must be confirmed by the State Committee on Judicial Appointments, a three-member panel consisting of the Chief Justice, the Court of Appeal’s Presiding Justice, and the Attorney General of the state. (Under state law, a committee consisting of the California state bar must issue a recommendation as to the qualifications of the candidate, but neither the governor nor the Commission needs to follow that recommendation.) After the Justice is confirmed, he or she must stand for retention at the next gubernatorial election. The Justice then serves a twelve-year term, and then must stand for retention again.

Courts of Appeals

Below the Supreme Court are the California Courts of Appeal. These are the intermediate appellate courts of the state of California, and they review all final reviewable orders from the trial courts.