You Be the Judge

With the US Senate confirmation of Janice Rogers Brown to a federal judgeship yesterday, Governor Schwarzenegger has the opportunity appoint her successor on the California Supreme Court. This also gives us an opportunity to take a closer look as his record on appointments.

“Based on a Mercury News review of Schwarzenegger's judicial appointments to date, he is lagging behind in selecting female and minority judges, a fact legal experts predict will add pressure to choosing a black person or a woman to fill Brown's post. Of his 57 new judge appointments, the governor has picked 13 women, or 23 percent, compared to 35 percent of the hundreds of Davis judges.” (San Jose Mercury News, June 9, 2005)

“According to Schwarzenegger's office, among the governor's 57 judicial appointees, African Americans are ‘1.75 percent’ of those who chose to identify themselves by race. In other words, one. She's Dorothy Reyes, a Democrat and former insurance defense lawyer named to the Superior Court in Los Angeles. The score is the same so far for Latinos. The sole Schwarzenegger judge is former public defender Alex Ricciardulli, also a Democrat now sitting on the Los Angeles trial bench.” (Sacramento Bee, June 9, 2005)

One Latino and one African-American…way to go.

“‘The numbers speak glaringly to the lack of women and minority appointments so far,’ said Chris Arriola, a San Jose prosecutor and chair of the judicial committee for La Raza Lawyers of California.” (San Jose Mercury News, June 9, 2005)

The Governor’s lack of outreach for qualified candidates is not limited to judicial appointments. If he has his way, his budget will cut $21.1 million for UC, $7 million for CSU from enrollment growth and outreach programs. (Source: Legislative Analyst’s Office, Analysis of the 2005-06 Budget Bill, February 2005)

It comes as no surprise that a member of the Governor’s own transition team, Carlos Olamendi, an Orange County businessman and Republican activist, lamented, “I think his advisers have shown a lack of experience and knowledge in the Latino community…That is very sad, No. 1, and also very dangerous politically." (Sacramento Bee, June 4, 2005)

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