If you are seeking an endorsement from the San Mateo County Unity Bar, please send an email with a current resume/CV to smcunitybar@gmail.com.

A member of the Endorsements Committee will contact you to request additional documents, including your PDQ, updates thereto, and information about what other endorsements you obtained or are in the process of seeking.  Additionally, applicants are invited to provide a brief optional statement addressing why you are seeking endorsement from the San Mateo County Unity Bar, and how you meet the Bar’s endorsement criteria (described below), to the extent not already addressed by the PDQ and updates thereto.  The Endorsements Committee will contact you to schedule an interview, after which the Committee will share whether you have received an endorsement and, if so, will provide you with a copy of the letter of endorsement.

Please direct any general questions regarding the endorsement process to smcunitybar@gmail.com, or the Committee member with whom you have been communicating directly, if applicable.

In evaluating a candidate for endorsement, the San Mateo County Unity Bar considers the following criteria, listed in descending order of the approximate weight given to them.  However, the evaluation is holistic and other factors may be considered as well. 

1. Commitment to equal access to justice and equal opportunity 
2. Demonstrated involvement with, support of and responsiveness to issues, needs and concerns of women, communities of color, and/or another disdvantaged group 
3. Involvement in civic and community affairs 
4. Integrity and character 
5. Professional ability / experience 
6. Judicial temperament

We are seeking volunteers to serve on the San Mateo County Unity Bar’s judicial endorsements committee!  Please email us at smcunitybar@gmail.com if you are interested. 

• What is the purpose of the San Mateo County Unity Bar’s judicial endorsements committee?
  • The San Mateo County Unity Bar's judicial endorsement committee will evaluate candidates seeking judicial appointments to San Mateo County Superior Court, other courts with jurisdiction over San Mateo County, or, to the extent our bandwidth permits, other courts if the candidate has ties to San Mateo County.  The committee will determine whether to grant an endorsement to a candidate with an emphasis on evaluating whether the candidate has demonstrated a commitment to equal access to justice and equal opportunity, and whether the candidate has demonstrated involvement with, support of and responsiveness to issues, needs and concerns of women, communities of color, and/or another disadvantaged group. 
• Why should I consider joining the judicial endorsements committee?
  • You will be able to learn more about California’s judicial appointments process and help identify and support judicial candidates who reflect the diversity of San Mateo County and California and will serve with integrity and excellence.  You will be able to help foster a judiciary that mirrors the richness and dynamic spirit of our communities, which strengthens public confidence in the courts and improves access to justice for all.  As Secretary Luis Céspedes, Judicial Appointments Secretary to Governor Gavin Newsom, has said, “A judiciary that looks like California fulfills our democratic ideal of equal and impartial justice under law.” 
• What work is expected of a judicial endorsements committee member?
  • When a committee member is assigned to evaluate a particular candidate, the committee member will be responsible for reviewing the candidate’s written judicial application materials, conducting a Zoom interview with the candidate, and meeting with co-evaluators to vote on whether to grant an endorsement.  If an endorsement is granted, the co-evaluators will write an endorsement letter supporting the candidate and submit it to the Governor’s Office (or, in the case of appointments not made by the Governor, the appropriate appointments office).  
• What is the time commitment?
  • While there will be variation, we estimate that the evaluation process will take approximately five hours per candidate per evaluator, to be completed within approximately four weeks of the evaluator being assigned to the candidate.