California
California’s highest court is the Supreme Court of California. The court has six associate justices and one chief justice, who is appointed under the same procedures as the associate justices. (Source: California Judicial Branch)
Judicial Selection
The governor nominates candidates to the Supreme Court of California who must be confirmed by a majority of the commission on judicial appointments. The commission consists of the chief justice, the state attorney general, and the senior presiding justice of the state’s courts of appeal. Once confirmed, the nominee stands in an unopposed yes/no retention vote at the time of California’s next general election. Justices serve 12-year terms and may seek additional terms through an unopposed yes/no retention vote. There are no term limits, and there is no mandatory retirement age.
State Constitution
California has had two constitutions adopted in 1849 and 1879. As of January 1, 2024, it had 541 amendments. (Source: John Dinan, 2024)
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A New Tool Makes Comparing State Constitutions Easier
Scholars, practitioners, and judges can quickly see how constitutional provisions differ or overlap with a resource from the nonprofit American Juris Link.
States Grapple with the Death Penalty
More people have been executed in 2025 than in any year of the past decade. But some states are strengthening protections against the death penalty.
Texas Suit Against New York Doctor Ushers in New Era of Abortion Litigation
The Texas attorney general alleges a New York physician broke Texas law when she mailed abortion-inducing medication to a woman in Texas.
As Executions Rise, A Conversation with an Attorney Whose Clients Are Facing the Death Penalty
John Mills, whose client on Oklahoma’s death row was granted a new trial by the U.S. Supreme Court this term, discusses his anti-death-penalty advocacy.
The History of Same-Sex Marriage in the United States, and What Might Come Next
Until the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, the country was a patchwork of laws regarding who could marry.
Extreme Heat Exacerbates Dire Prison Conditions, With Few Paths to Relief
People behind bars are particularly vulnerable to harm during heat waves and climate-related disasters. Advocates should consider state constitutional solutions.
Attorney General Duties Are a Frequent Target of Legislative Gamesmanship
Legislatures in multiple states have stripped power from attorneys general they disagree with politically.
How the Constitution Constrains Presidential Overreach Against the States
Existing “anti-commandeering” doctrine is one avenue to challenge abuses of presidential power, but stronger arguments are rooted in the Constitution’s separation of powers.