Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced the appointment of the first openly transgender judge to the bench in California.
Andi Mudyrk, 58, of Sacramento, will serve as a judge in the Sacramento County Superior Couty, the governor’s office said.
She is the first transgender person to be appointed to the California bench, but she is also the second openly transgender person to serve as a judge. She follows in the path of Alameda Superior Court Judge Victoria Kolakowski, who became the first openly transgender judge after being elected in 2010.
Mudyrk’s appointment comes as political battles are waged over transgender rights in the U.S. amid a culture war, and as Newsom seeks to leave a legacy of diversity on California courts.
Newsom is scheduled Monday to swear in Justice Patricia Guerrero as the first Latina on the California Supreme Court. She was confirmed unanimously on Tuesday. In 2020, he nominated the first openly gay justice, Martin Jenkins, who is the third Black person to serve on the high court.
Mudyrk has been the chief deputy director at the California Department of Rehabilitation since 2020 and previously worked as a chief counsel there.
She has also worked in roles at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County and for Disability Rights California.
She earned her law degree from George Washington University Law School and is a person with a disability, brittle bone disease, the governor’s office said.
This post first appeared in kcra