Charles E. Wilson IIIncumbent

Candidate for Court of Appeal Justice, California Court of Appeal, Sixth Appellate District, Seat 3

Charles E. Wilson II has served as an Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Sixth Appellate District, in San Jose, since 2021. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. He earned an M.B.A. from the University of San Francisco. He earned a J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law. Before he took the bench, Wilson practiced as a civil attorney. He worked on complex litigation there. He then served as a deputy district attorney. That was with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, per Ballotpedia. He tried cases ranging from property crimes to murder. He served seven years as a judge of the Santa Clara County Superior Court. There, he was the supervising judge of the Family Violence Division. He was also the supervising judge of the Palo Alto courthouse. He has also taught for the Witkin Judicial College, for the Domestic Violence Institute, and for the Assigned Judges Conference. Gov. Gavin Newsom put his name up for the Sixth District Court of Appeal on July 9, 2021. He took the place of retired Justice Eugene Premo. The Commission on Judicial Appointments confirmed him on August 30, 2021. Voters chose to keep him at the November 2022 election, for the rest of a term that ends in January 2027. He now appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for a new retention vote. If most voters mark yes, he keeps his seat for a full 12-year term. The Sixth District hears appeals from Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey counties.

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