First LGBTQ+ nominee for California’s supreme court
Martin Jenkins, 66, has been nominated for the position of Justice in California’s supreme court; if successful, he would become first openly gay member of the court.
Martin Jenkins, 66, has been nominated for the position of Justice in California’s supreme court; if successful, he would become first openly gay member of the court. The supreme court is the highest judicial organisation in the state and Jenkins, who is the first LGBTQ+ nominee for the role, has been the judicial appointments Secretary for California Governor Gavin Newsom since 2019. Jenkins would also be the fifth African-American justice in the court’s history.
Newsom, who nominated Jenkins, congratulated him by tweeting “he is a person of the highest principles.” Others also praised him, including LGBTQ+ organisation Equality California and LA based news outlet Good Black News.
When speaking to Advocate, Jenkins said: “Being the first LGBTQ+ nominee, and being an African-American man too, is a big responsibility. I think I know how being in the minority feels, and so my plan is to do the job as well as I can. Hopefully, I’ll have the ability to shine a light on the possibilities for people who look like me or have the same orientation as I do”.
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