Gov. Gavin Newsom recently launched the California Judicial Mentor Program, a statewide effort between the executive and judicial branches to create a more inclusive judiciary reflecting California’s diversity.

The initiative will include an appellate court mentor program and a trial court mentor program. It aims to demystify the appellate and trial court application process and improve transparency and accessibility for all members of the legal community.

“Our state’s remarkable diversity is a point of pride and strength that I am committed to advancing at every level of state government,” Newsom said. “This mentor program supports our efforts to identify the best and brightest judicial candidates from throughout the state, contributing to a stronger, more inclusive bench to better serve all Californians.”

The California Judicial Mentor Program Executive Committee consists of Judicial Appointments Secretary Luis Cespedes, Chair of the Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Paul A. Bacigalupo, and co-chairs representing the appellate and trial courts.

The program co-chairs will use working groups of justices and judges to communicate across sectors of the legal community to support lawyers and judges considering service on the appellate and trial courts. The program will identify judicial mentors and provide information about the judicial appointment process. Participation in the program is not a guarantee of an appointment, nor a prerequisite in the application process.

“This program will foster transparency and accessibility to all members of the legal community in our great state who wish to serve as judicial officers,” Bacigalupo said. “In making justices and judges accessible to prospective judicial applicants, we hope to demystify the application process and recruit a wide array of qualified candidates to serve our courts and administer justice fairly, equitably and honorably.”