Justice Humes was first 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 in July 2014 he was elevated to be the Presiding Justice of Division One. He was retained by the voters in 2014.
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 for then-Attorney General Brown. As the Chief Deputy, Justice Humes managed, under the Attorney General’s direction, the California Department of Justice—an agency that employed over 5,000 people, including 1100 attorneys. Before becoming the Chief Deputy, Justice Humes was the Chief Assistant for the Civil Division and held management and supervisory positions in the Health, Education & Welfare and Correctional Law sections.
Justice Humes began his career in public service 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 short break during, his public-sector work in Colorado.
Justice Humes was raised in the Midwest. He holds a J.D. from the University of Denver, a Master of Social Science from the University of Colorado, and a B.A. from Illinois State University.
Justice Humes is married to his partner, Joe Quinn, and they live in San Francisco
