David M. RubinIncumbent

Candidate for Court of Appeal Justice, California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division 1, Seat 7

David M. Rubin has served as an Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division One, since June 23, 2023. That court sits in San Diego. He grew up in Albany, California. He earned Bachelor of Arts degrees from UC Berkeley in 1982. He graduated from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1986. He served on the law review there. After law school, he moved to San Diego. He worked as a prosecutor in the San Diego County District Attorney's Office. He then served as a judge of the San Diego County Superior Court. He served there for nearly 17 years, starting around 2006. He sat in the criminal, family, and civil divisions. He spent his last three years on that court's Appellate Division. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed him to the Court of Appeal on March 30, 2023. The Commission on Judicial Appointments confirmed him unanimously. He took the oath of office on June 23, 2023. News coverage of his confirmation said he is the first openly LGBTQ justice to serve in Division One of the Fourth District. He was appointed since the last governor's race. So Rubin is on the November 3, 2026 ballot for a nonpartisan yes-or-no retention vote. There is no opposing candidate. A majority yes vote keeps him on the court. As of August 21, 2026, no group had been found to back or oppose his retention.

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