Therese Stewart, the San Francisco attorney who argued on behalf of the city in three cases advocating for same sex marriage for Californians in the state Supreme Court, has been nominated to the state Court of Appeal by Gov. Jerry Brown.
If confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, Stewart, 57, would be the first openly lesbian justice to serve on the state Court of Appeal.
Governor Brown announced the nomination of Stewart on Monday.
She has served as chief deputy city attorney in the City Attorney’s office in San Francisco since 2002.
In addition to arguing on behalf of marriage equality, Stewart also led the team of San Francisco deputy city attorneys who intervened as plaintiffs in the federal case challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8. The voter initiative limited marriage to a man and a woman. It was struck down in a federal trial in San Francisco by retired Judge Vaughn Walker.
Stewart received her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley Schhol of Law and her undergraduate degree from CornellUniversity.
She also served as a law clerk form Judge Phyllis Kravitch on the 11th U.S. Court of Appeals in 1981-82.
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