Martin Joseph Jenkins (born November 12, 1953) is an American attorney and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of California. He was previously a justice of the

California Court of Appeal The California Courts of Appeal are the state intermediate appellate courts in the U.S. state of California. The state is geographically divided along county lines into six appellate districts.

for the First District, located in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, and a former

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Early life and education

Jenkins was born in

and raised in the neighborhood of Ingleside.Harriet Chiang
Wal-Mart judge praised for compassion, diligence
, ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The ...

'' (June 23, 2004). He earned an Associate of Arts degree from

City College of San Francisco City College of San Francisco (CCSF or City College) is a public community college in San Francisco, California. Founded as a junior college in 1935, the college plays an important local role, annually enrolling as many as one in nine San Franci ...

, then graduated from Santa Clara University with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree.Governor Schwarzenegger Appoints Martin Jenkins to First District Court of Appeal
, ''Press Release: Office of the Governor'' (January 28, 2008). Jenkins played on the

Santa Clara Broncos football The Santa Clara Broncos football program was the intercollegiate American football team for Santa Clara University located in Santa Clara, California. Santa Clara played its first football game against St. Mary's College in San Francisco in 1 ...

team at defensive back. After college, Jenkins briefly played professional football for the Seattle Seahawks of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. Jenkins then attended the University of San Francisco School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor with honors.

Career

Jenkins was a law clerk in the

Alameda County Alameda County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and 21st most populous nationally. The county seat is Oakland. Alam ...

District Attorney's Office, California, from 1980 to 1981, and then a deputy district attorney (prosecutor) in that same office from 1981 to 1983.Commission Confirms Judge Martin Jenkins as Court of Appeal Justice
, ''Metropolitan News-Enterprise'' (April 7, 2008). and for the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...

in the

Civil Rights Division The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division is the institution within the federal government responsible for enforcing federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin. T ...

from 1983 to 1985. In 1985, Jenkins moved back to the Bay Area when his mother became ill, then served as in-house counsel for

Pacific Bell The Pacific Bell Telephone Company (Pacific Bell or Pac Bell) is a telephone company that provides telephone service in California. The company is owned by AT&T through AT&T Teleholdings, and, though separate, is now marketed as “AT&T”. The ...

for four years. He served as the Judicial Appointments Secretary for California Governor Gavin Newsom from January 14, 2019 to December 4, 2020.

Judicial service

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

,Howard Mintz
Schwarzenegger defies stereotypes, party labels in shaping California judiciary
, ''

Contra Costa Times The ''East Bay Times'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Walnut Creek, California, United States, owned by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of Media News Group, that serves Contra Costa and Alameda counties, in the East ...

'' (July 24, 2010). Jenkins was appointed to the Alameda County Municipal Court by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

George Deukmejian Courken George Deukmejian Jr. (; June 6, 1928 – May 8, 2018) was an American politician who served as the 35th governor of California from 1983 to 1991. Of Armenian descent, Deukmejian was a member of the Republican Party and he also served ...

in 1989. In 1992, Republican Governor

Pete Wilson Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 36th governor of California from 1991 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as a United States senator from California betw ...

appointed him to the Alameda County Superior Court, where he served until 1997. Jenkins was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. He was nominated by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

on July 24, 1997, to a seat vacated by Eugene F. Lynch. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on November 9, 1997, and received commission on November 12, 1997. His contribution to federal law includes the Jenkins-Laporte Doctrine, which defines the boundary of copyright and contractual rights in the licensing of digital works.California Supreme Court Judge Martin Jenkins to receive Stonewall Award
''The American Bar Association Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity '' (February 4, 2021). In August 2007, Jenkins asked Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to consider him for a seat on the California Court of Appeal.Bob Egelko
Federal judge nominated to state appeals court
''

'' (January 26, 2008). On January 25, 2008, Schwarzenegger nominated Jenkins to fill the vacancy on the First District Court of Appeal created by the retirement of Justice Joanne C. Parrilli. Jenkins resigned from the federal bench on April 3 and was confirmed on the state bench on April 4, 2008. On October 5, 2020, Governor Newsom announced that he would nominate Jenkins to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of California, replacing Ming Chin, who retired on August 31, 2020. When confirmed, he became the first openly gay justice, the third African American man, and the fifth African American person to serve on the court. On November 11, 2020, Jenkins was confirmed as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of California. The state's Commission on Judicial Appointments approved his nomination by a 3-0 vote. On December 4, 2020, Jenkins was sworn in as the newest Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court. In 2022, Jenkins voted with a majority of the California Supreme Court in ordering University of California, Berkeley to cut its enrollment after a local NIMBY group argued that more students in the college town would have an adverse environmental impact. , following the 2022 election, he was retained by California voters to continue to serve as an associate justice with 69.4% of an affirmative vote.

Personal life

Jenkins is

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and a member of the St. Thomas More Society of San Francisco. Jenkins is openly gay.

References

Sources