Justice Gilbert Nares, Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division One

Associate Justice Gilbert Nares of the Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District is set to retire after 31 years on the appellate court. Nares' final day on the bench is scheduled for Aug. 30.

Appointed by former California Gov. George Deukmejian, the associate justice for Division One of the Fourth District began his posting for the Court of Appeal in 1988. Before his time on the appellate bench, he served as a trial judge for the San Diego County Superior and Municipal Courts as an appointee of Gov. Jerry Brown. Nares held positions as a supervising judge for the Superior Court's North County Branch and presiding judge for the Municipal Court's North County Judicial District.

As a municipal court judge, Nares, whose grandparents emigrated to the United States from Mexico, championed access to court interpreters for non-English speakers and conducted hearings in Spanish in some cases. Later, he served as a vice chair of the California Judicial Council's advisory committee on court interpreters.

“Justice Nares enjoyed digging into the complexities of every case he handled and never failed to apply his sound common sense to the problems he encountered,” said Administrative Presiding Justice Judith McConnell in a statement. “We will miss his collegiality and practical wisdom.”

Before his judgeship, Nares practiced law for Daubney, Banche, Patterson & Nares. As a lawyer, he was elected president of the Bar Association of Northern San Diego County and received the bar's lifetime achievement award.

Born and raised in Oceanside, Nares said he has never doubted his choice of career or hometown. “Once I decided what I wanted to do, I never changed my mind,” he told the California Appellate Court Legacy Project in 2018. “I knew two things for sure when I was in grammar school: I knew I wanted to be a lawyer, and I knew I wanted to live at the beach. Everything else was negotiable, but those two things were not.” Nare's appreciation for Oceanside seems to be reciprocal. Last year, The Oceanside City Council created Justice Gilbert Nares Day on Jan. 17.

Nares is a distinguished alumnus of the University of San Diego, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of San Diego School of Law.