Kathleen M. BankeIncumbent

Candidate for Court of Appeal Justice, California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division 1, Seat 3

Kathleen M. Banke is an Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division One. She earned her undergraduate degree from California State University, Sacramento, in 1974. She earned her J.D. from the University of Colorado in 1979. She practiced appellate law in private practice for more than two decades. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger then appointed her to the Alameda County Superior Court in June 2006. She served there as a trial judge for three years. In June 2009, Governor Schwarzenegger elevated her to the First District Court of Appeal, Division One. She succeeded retired Justice William Stein. The Commission on Judicial Appointments confirmed her on July 30, 2009. She appeared on the November 2010 ballot for retention. Voters retained her again on November 4, 2014. That term expires January 3, 2027. So she is on the November 3, 2026 ballot. The retention question is nonpartisan and unopposed. Voters will cast a yes-or-no vote on whether she stays on the court. If retained, she gets a new 12-year term.

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