Patricia Guerrero
Chief Justice of California since January 2023, the first Latina to hold the POST.
Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero wrote the unanimous 24 September 2026 opinion ordering Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco to return about 650,000 seized ballots, holding that voted ballots stay with elections officials even during a criminal investigation.
Last refreshed: 1 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Patricia Guerrero
Bianco must hand back 650,000 ballots
US Midterms 2026Background
Patricia Guerrero leads the Supreme Court of California. Her opinion in Cervantes v. Bianco, issued for a 7-0 court on 24 September 2026, read the Elections Code to keep cast ballots in the custody of elections officials at all times, criminal investigations included. She also wrote for the Court in the companion case, Bonta v. Bianco, which upheld the attorney general's direction that the sheriff pause his inquiry.
Governor Gavin Newsom appointed her an associate justice in March 2022, making her the first Latina on the Court, and nominated her as chief justice that August. Voters confirmed her in November 2022. She was sworn in on 2 January 2023 as California's 29th chief justice and the third woman to hold the POST.
Her two ballot opinions put the Court's reading of the Elections Code in force for California's 3 November 2026 count.
Who is the Chief Justice of California?
What did the California Supreme Court rule in Cervantes v. Bianco?
Who appointed Patricia Guerrero?
