Patricia Guerrero, California’s First Latina Chief Justice, Is Making History
Patricia Guerrero broke a major barrier when she became the first Latina to lead the California Supreme Court
Credit: Supreme Court of California | Courtesy
We love seeing Latinas make history. Patricia Guerrero made history as the first Latina to lead the California Supreme Court. Her appointment as the state’s 29th chief justice marked a major milestone for Latina representation at the highest levels of California’s legal system.
Guerrero was already breaking barriers before taking the court’s top position. In March 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed her as the first Latina associate justice of the California Supreme Court. After he nominated her for chief justice, she was sworn into the role in January 2023.
Her path to the state’s highest court began in California’s Imperial Valley, where Mexican immigrant parents raised her. Guerrero worked at a grocery store at 16 before graduating from UC Berkeley in 1994 and earning her Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School in 1997.
Throughout her career, Guerrero has paired legal leadership with work supporting immigrant communities. She served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of California and joined the Advisory Board of the Immigration Justice Project, which works to expand immigrants’ access to justice in the appellate court system. She also provided pro bono assistance in immigration cases, including asylum applications, and litigated fair housing cases.
Before joining the California Supreme Court, Guerrero served as a judge on the Superior Court of San Diego County from 2013 to 2017 and was later appointed to the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division One.
As chief justice, Guerrero continues to make Latina leadership visible in California law. In 2025, she delivered the State of the Judiciary address and served as chair of the California Supreme Court Historical Society. Her honors include La Alianza’s 2025 Trailblazer Award and the California Latino Judges Association’s 2024 Cruz Reynoso Champion of Justice Award.
