Division Seven: Justice Gonzalo C. Martinez
Associate Justice Gonzalo C. Martinez was appointed to the Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Seven, by Governor Gavin Newsom in March 2023. He was sworn in on July 10, 2023, after being confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments.
Justice Martinez previously served in the Governor’s Office as deputy judicial appointments secretary and also worked in legal affairs. Martinez advised on the appointment of almost 400 judges across California and frequently spoke on judicial appointments throughout the State.
He served as a deputy solicitor general in the Office of the Solicitor General in the California Attorney General’s Office. He represented the State in significant civil and criminal matters in state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court and the California Supreme Court.
Justice Martinez was previously in private practice. He was a partner in the Appellate and Supreme Court Practice Group at Squire Patton Boggs (U.S.) LLP, practicing before appellate and trial courts nationwide. He also worked at Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP and Morrison & Foerster. As an attorney, he was certified as a specialist in Appellate Law by the State Bar of California. The Daily Journal recognized him as one of the “Top 100 Lawyers in California.”
He graduated from Harvard Law School and Harvard College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and literature, magna cum laude with highest honors. He earned a Master’s degree in English from Stanford University. He clerked for the Honorable Maxine M. Chesney at the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, and for the Honorable Anthony W. Ishii at the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, both after several years of practice.
Martinez was born in Porterville, California, where he attended public schools. He was an appellate lawyer representative and a district court lawyer representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council. Martinez also served on the national board of governors for the Hispanic National Bar Association and in leadership roles in several local bar associations. He also coached high school mock trial teams, and regularly speaks to law, college, and high school students.
.