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Judges and Judiciary

May 15, 2025

Judicial selection in California and beyond

California's hybrid system of judicial selection reveals striking differences when compared with the varied approaches used across other states.

Pasadena Courthouse

Gus Gomez

Judge

Gus Gomez is a judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Court currently assigned to hear infractions (and sometimes misdemeanor, felony and unlawful detainer) cases in the Glendale courthouse. He is a former Glendale mayor and councilmember.

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 Judicial selection in California and beyond
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The 2026 election cycle in California is almost here--well, close enough.

The filing period for political offices, including judicial elections, is months away--in this case June 2026--and given that most judicial elections go uncontested, why should anyone take notice?

The focus of this column is judicial selection. But what is judicial selection?  Judicial selection is the process by whi...

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