Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday nominated a longtime Southern California litigator to the Fourth District Court of Appeal and named 11 new judges to trial courts throughout the state.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Maurice Sanchez is Newsom's pick to fill a vacancy on the Fourth District's Division Three. Sanchez joined the Orange County bench in 2018 after working for a year as a partner at Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough, where he represented carmakers and distributors.