California Supreme Court justice leaving to head think tank

By DON THOMPSON
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California Supreme Court justice is leaving after next month to head an international think tank. The announcement Thursday gives Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom his second appointment to the high court. Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar will become the new president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace after departing the court on Oct. 31. Newsom’s office says he will look for replacement candidates in coming months who reflect the state’s diversity. The announcement comes days after voters overwhelmingly kept Newsom in office by rejecting a mid-term recall election. Cuéllar was appointed by former governor Jerry Brown in 2014 after serving in the administration of former President Barack Obama.