Julia C. KeletyIncumbent

Candidate for Court of Appeal Justice, California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division 1, Seat 9

Julia C. Kelety is an Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal. She sits on the Fourth Appellate District, Division One, in San Diego. She took the oath of office on April 7, 2023. She grew up in Tempe, Arizona. She earned a B.A. from the University of Arizona in 1982. She earned a J.D. from Cornell Law School in 1985. At Cornell she was Articles Editor of the Cornell Law Review. She clerked for Judge Mary M. Schroeder of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She then worked as a litigation associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher starting in 1986. In 1990 she moved to San Diego. She became a federal prosecutor. She worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. There she won the Department of Justice Director's Award. That award was for prosecuting fraudulent telemarketers. In 1997 she joined the Law Office of Howard Wiggins. She later became a partner there. Governor Gray Davis appointed her to the San Diego County Superior Court. That was in October 2003. She served more than nineteen years on that court. She presided over probate and juvenile dependency cases. She also served three years as Presiding Judge. That was of the court's Appellate Division. Governor Gavin Newsom nominated her to the Court of Appeal. That was on January 27, 2023. The Commission on Judicial Appointments confirmed her unanimously. She was appointed after the last governor's election. So she appears on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot. Voters will cast a nonpartisan yes/no retention vote. She has no opposing candidate. As of August 21, 2026, no organized campaign for or against her retention had been found.

Profiles are compiled from the candidate’s own statements and public records. We never tell you how to vote.