Nicholas DaumIncumbent

Candidate for Court of Appeal Justice, California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division 4, Seat 3

Nicholas F. Daum is an Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal. He sits on the Second Appellate District, Division 4, in Los Angeles. He is the newest member of that division. He earned a B.A. in history from Cornell University. That was in 1996. He earned an M.A. in history from UC Berkeley. That was in 2000. He earned a J.D. from Yale Law School. There he edited the Yale Law Journal. He also served as executive editor of the Yale Journal on Regulation. In private practice he was an associate at Susman Godfrey. That was from 2004 to 2009. He then was an associate, and later partner, at Kendall Brill & Kelly. That was in Los Angeles, from 2009 to 2022. There he helped lead the firm's entertainment/media and appellate practices. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed him to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. That was in March 2022. On June 2, 2026, Governor Newsom nominated him to the Court of Appeal. It filled the vacancy left by Justice Audrey B. Collins's retirement. The Commission on Judicial Appointments confirmed the nomination. He took his oath on August 6, 2026. He was appointed to the seat mid-term. So he appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot. It is a nonpartisan yes/no retention vote, with no opposing candidate, for voters in the Second Appellate District. This is his first appellate retention election.

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