Martin Jenkins, a justice on the Supreme Court of California, is stepping down. 

This comes, according to Bloomberg News, just about five years after he was put on the court by California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).

The move was praised widely by the political left, for Jenkins became the court's first openly gay justice.

Associate Justice Martin J. Jenkins will retire from the California Supreme Court at the end of October after five years with the court and more than 35 years of judicial service. https://t.co/eXgmN0O1Of pic.twitter.com/wrpEMVclh9

— California Supreme Court (@CaSupremeCourt) October 9, 2025

Jenkins announces his retirement

The 71-year-old Jenkins announced his retirement last week.

"I could not imagine a better capstone to my career on the bench than serving on the California Supreme Court," he said.

Jenkins went on to say:

Having been a judge at every level of the state court system and with the federal district court, I have seen firsthand how judges and justices at each stage of the judicial process faithfully apply the law in a fair and empathetic manner. I have strived to do the same as a trial judge, at the First District Court of Appeal, and finally, at the California Supreme Court.

California's judicial branch fills in Jenkins's background.

It writes:

Jenkins, 71, spent almost two years advising Governor Newsom on judicial appointments prior to filling the vacancy on the court created by Associate Justice Ming Chin’s retirement. Before joining the Newsom administration, Jenkins served as an associate justice on the First District Court of Appeal from 2008 to 2019 and as a federal district judge at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California from 1997 to 2008. Earlier, Jenkins served as a judge on the Alameda County Superior Court (1992–1997) and on the Oakland Municipal Court (1989–1992). Jenkins’s prior experience as a practitioner included three years as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice and three years a prosecutor with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.

Newsom gets another appointment

Jenkins is expected to step down by the end of the month.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

He will step down at the end of October, creating a vacancy on the seven-member court. Its current members include two other Newsom appointees, Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero and Justice Kelli Evans; three appointees of former Gov. Jerry Brown, and one Republican appointee, Justice Carol Corrigan, chosen by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Now, Newsom will get to put another judge on the court.

The outlet continues, "Newsom will nominate his successor and request confirmation from the state's Commission on Judicial Appointments, which is chaired by Guerrero."

With the Democrats' grip on California, Newsom will have little trouble getting his chosen candidate through. The only question will be just how radical the nominee will be.