Accountability

Gov. Newsom appoints second openly-transgender judge to California Supreme Court

Published

2 years ago

March 30, 2022

On Friday, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced he will name Judge Andi Mudryk, 58, to the California Supreme Court, making Mudryk the second openly transgender justice to serve on the state bench.

Mudryk will be sworn in next Friday, following in the footsteps of Alameda Superior Court Judge Victoria Kolakowski, who was elected in 2010 and became the first openly trans person to serve as a California judge. “Andi Mudryk is a great appointment and will be a wonderful judge,” Kolakowski said. “I’m glad to finally have a trans colleague on the bench in California.”

LGBTQ and equal rights organizations have lauded Mudryk’s appointment. Equality California wrote in a Tweet, “We are thrilled to be celebrating another milestone for CA’s LGBTQ+ community in @GavinNewsom historic appointment of Andi Mudryk to the Sacramento County Superior Court. LGBTQ+ voices are essential to achieve full equality!”

Mudryk’s appointment comes at a time when transgender rights are a hot topic, with some states banning transgender youth athletes from participating in girl’s sports.

Terry A. Hurlbut

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Terry A. Hurlbut has been a student of politics, philosophy, and science for more than 35 years. He is a graduate of Yale College and has served as a physician-level laboratory administrator in a 250-bed community hospital. He also is a serious student of the Bible, is conversant in its two primary original languages, and has followed the creation-science movement closely since 1993.