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Jonathan K. Renner
Associate Justice
Full 12-year termNot a former trial judge
Former Senior Assistant Attorney General and governor's Legal Affairs Secretary; never a trial judge. The Supreme Court unanimously adopted his partial dissent in a murder-liability case.
On your ballot. Vote Yes or No on keeping Jonathan K. Renner on the court (full 12-year term). Appears on ballots in Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo and Yuba.
Qualifications
Appointment. Appointed by Gov. Brown, 2014. Retained 2014 (65%).
Outside rating. None found. The State Bar rates nominees before appointment, but we could not find this rating in public sources.
Before the bench. Senior Assistant Attorney General for Government Law, then Gov. Brown's Legal Affairs Secretary. Never served as a trial judge.
Conduct
No public discipline or controversies found.
What others recommend
- YesIndivisible Marin (Yes on all California justices) (progressive group)
- YesCraig Huey voter guide (conservative guide)
- NoReform California (conservative guide)
In this district, we found published positions mainly from conservative and Republican groups. Most Democratic, progressive and newspaper groups here had not published positions on these justices as of October 16.
Robyn Nordell's conservative guide repeats Craig Huey's picks, so it is not listed separately.
Trellis does not make recommendations. These are positions published by outside groups as of October 16, 2026. Labels describe each group's general leaning.
Notable rulings
- Criminal justiceIn re Scoggins (2020). His partial dissent, finding a man who planned an unarmed beating did not show reckless indifference to life, was adopted unanimously by the Supreme Court. Read the opinion ›
- Free speech & privacyReed v. Gallagher (2016). Dismissed a campaign-ad defamation suit; calling a rival a "crook" was political hyperbole. Read the opinion ›
From the trial court record
Never served as a trial judge, so there is no trial court record to show.
Sources: Daily Journal
Others on the same ballot
- Laurie M. EarlFormer public defender and deputy DA; Sacramento trial judge from 2005, presiding judge 2012 to 2013. Credited with helping clear the Third District's case backlog.
- Lauri A. DamrellFormer Orrick employment and pay equity partner; Sacramento trial judge 2018 to 2026, where she created the Complex Civil Litigation department. No widely reported appellate rulings yet.
- David B. SappGovernor's Legal Affairs Secretary since 2022 and former ACLU education lawyer; never a trial judge. Nominee who takes the seat in 2027 if retained; no rulings yet.
- Stacy Boulware EurieFormer Senior Assistant Attorney General; Sacramento trial judge for 15 years, including juvenile court presiding judge 2010 to 2018. No widely reported appellate rulings yet.
- Aimee A. FeinbergFormer U.S. Supreme Court clerk and California Deputy Solicitor General 2014 to 2023; never a trial judge. Appointed 2024; no widely reported rulings yet.
- Shama Hakim MesiwalaFirst South Asian and Muslim woman on a California appellate court; Sacramento trial judge 2017 to 2023. Supreme Court unanimously adopted her dissent in a school abuse case.