Leondra Kruger is Gov’s pick for state Supreme Court

impressive resume.

As a government attorney, Kruger has been an assistant to the U.S. Solicitor General and acting deputy solicitor general in the U.S. Justice Department. She’s argued a dozen cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and is known for her legal scholarship. She clerked for former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.

If confirmed, Kruger will be the first African American on the California Supreme Court since Justice Janice Rogers Brown in 2005. Kruger was born in California and she’s a graduate of Harvard and Yale Law School.

Kruger’s appointment requires confirmation from the state’s three-member commission on judicial appointments, which includes the chief justice of the state Supreme Court, the state Attorney General, and the presiding justice of the state Court of Appeals.

Kruger is brown’s third appointment to the California Supreme Court, and the third minority.The governor’s previous appointments are Goodwin Liu and Mariano Florentino-Cuellar. Kruger would replace Justice Joyce Kennard, who retired in April.