SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom on Dec. 8 announced his historic nomination of Judge Truc T. Do to serve as an associate justice of the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division One.
If confirmed, Do will be the first Asian American woman justice in the court’s history and the first Asian American to serve in Division One of the court. The court’s first Asian American justice was the late Stephen K. Tamura.
“This historic nomination brings the state closer to our goal of representing the diversity of California’s vibrant communities at every level of state government. I am confident that Judge Do will be an exemplary addition to the Fourth District Court of Appeal,” said Newsom.
Do was also the first Vietnamese American judge ever appointed to the San Diego County Superior Court when she was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown Jr. in 2018.
“I am deeply honored by Gov. Newsom’s nomination and look forward to the opportunity to serve the people of California as an Appellate Justice,” said Do.
Do, 49, of San Diego has served as a judge at the San Diego County Superior Court since 2018. She was a partner at Jones Day from 2014 to 2018 and at Munger, Tolles and Olson from 2009 to 2014.
Do served as a deputy district attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office from 1999 to 2009 and was an associate at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton from 1997 to 1999. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School.
Do fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Gilbert Nares. This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, which consists of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Senior Presiding Justice Manuel A. Ramirez. The compensation is $245,578. Do is a Democrat.
The Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District is made up of six Southern California counties — San Diego, Imperial, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Inyo — and is divided into three divisions: San Diego (Division One), Riverside (Division Two), and Santa Ana (Division Three). Each division has a presiding justice and currently the presiding justice of Division One is also the administrative presiding justice for the entire Fourth District.
Note: The original announcement incorrectly stated that Do is the first Asian American to be named a justice of the Fourth District Court of Appeal; a corrected press release stated that she is the first Asian American woman to be appointed.