Candidate for
Justice, California State Court of Appeal; District 1, Division 1

Justice Humes was appointed to the First Appellate District of the California Court of Appeal in December 2012 by Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. He joined the court as an Associate Justice in Division Four, and he was elevated to be the Presiding Justice of Division One in July 2014. For both of these appointments, Justice Humes was rated "Exceptionally Well Qualified"--the highest rating possible--by the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation, a part of the California State Bar Association.

Before joining the Court of Appeal, Justice Humes served for two years as Governor Brown's Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs, Administration, and Policy. For four years before that, he served as the Chief Deputy Attorney General of the California Department of Justice. As the Chief Deputy, Justice Humes was responsible for the day-to-day management of the Department of Justice--an agency that employs over 5,000 people, including 1100 attorneys. Before becoming the Chief Deputy, Justice Humes was the Chief Assistant of the Civil Division and held management and supervisory positions in the Health, Education & Welfare and the Correctional Law sections of the office.

Justice Humes began his career in public service over thirty years ago in the Colorado Attorney General's Office, where he was first appointed to be a deputy in the Regulatory Law Section and later became a Senior Assistant Attorney General in the Tort Litigation Section. He practiced law in private firms before, and during a break in, his Colorado public-sector appointments.

Justice Humes was an adjunct professor at Saint Mary's College in Moraga, California, for several years (2005-07)and taught evening courses in Legal Writing and Civil Procedure. In 1999, he was selected to be a US Supreme Court Fellow with the National Association of Attorneys General. In 1986, he received the Pro Bono Award for providing free legal services to people who were unable to afford a lawyer. In the late 1980's, he provided extensive free legal services for indigent clients of the Colorado Aids Project and, in the early 1990's, he was a volunteer at Under One Roof, an organization that raised and distributed money to AIDS charities.

Justice Humes holds a law degree from the University of Denver, a master's degree from the University of Colorado, and a bachelor of arts degree from Illinois State University, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1980.

Justice Humes is an avid swimmer and recently completed a life-long goal of swimming from Alcatraz to the mainland. He is happily married to his partner, Joe Quinn, and they live in San Francisco.