Amidst a sea of female contenders, California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno’s name stands out as the lone male presence on the U.S. Supreme Court nominee short list.
A San Francisco Chronicle columnist calls the California native a “long shot” for Justice Souter’s seat because, well, "he’s a dude." The NYTimes concurs.
Still, here’s a list of things you may or may not know about this lone wolf.
Carlos Moreno, California Supreme Court Justice
Alumnus: Stanford Law School, 1975
- Moreno, a Los Angeles native of Hispanic descent, went to local public schools before making his way east to Yale University, where he completed his undergraduate degree in 1970.
- With his appointment to the Supreme Court of California in 2001, he became the third judge of Hispanic heritage to serve in the Court's nearly 150-year history, and the first in more than a decade. (ABA)
- He has served as president of the Mexican American Bar Association, the Yale Club of Southern California, and the Stanford Board of Visitors.
- A foster parent himself, he is the Chair of the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Children in Foster Care, which makes recommendations to the California Judicial Council on the ways in which “the courts and their partners can improve safety, permanency, well-being, and fairness outcomes for children and families.” (California Courts)
- His mother came to the U.S. at the age of 16 with her mother and little sister following the Mexican Revolution in the early 1900s. (Thomas Jefferson School of Law)
- He played in the Stanford Law School mariachi band, La Rondalla. (Stanford Law)
Read about rumored nominee-possibilities Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, and about Jennifer Granholm, Diane P. Wood, and Janet Napolitano. Check back later this week for our final installment of the SCOTUS shortlist series, with items on Katheleen Sullivan and Pamela Karlan.
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