Expected California Supreme Court nominee Leondra Kruger a 'mind blower'
Gov. Jerry Brown announced Leondra Kruger as his pick to be an associate justice on the California Supreme Court. (California governor's office)
By Maura Dolan
latimes.com
U.S. Justice Department lawyer Leondra Kruger to be nominated by Gov. Jerry Brown to California Supreme Court
Gov. Jerry Brown announced Monday that he would nominate Leondra R. Kruger, a federal government lawyer, to the California Supreme Court.
Kruger, 38, who grew up in Pasadena, was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2002 but has not practiced law in the state since 2009, according to bar records.
Santa Clara University law professor Gerald Uelmen, an expert on the state’s highest court, called the appointment a “mind blower.”
“She is the youngest appointee in history,” Uelmen said. “She barely meets the constitutional qualifications ... She has never practiced law in California, and she hasn’t been in California for the last 20 years, as far as I can see.”
Brown said in a statement: “Leondra Kruger is a distinguished lawyer and uncommon student of the law. She has won the respect of eminent jurists, scholars and practitioners alike.”
“I am deeply honored by Governor Brown's nomination,” Kruger said in a news release issued by Brown's office. “I look forward to returning home to California and, if confirmed, serving the people of California on our state's highest court.”
She would be Brown’s third appointment in recent years to California’s seven-member high court. Like Brown’s two previous picks, both law professors, Kruger has no judicial experience.
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