Justice Moreno Stepping Down From Calif. High Court

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The only Democratic appointee on the California Supreme Court is stepping down next month, a court official confirmed Thursday.

   Justice Carlos Moreno, 62, submitted his resignation to Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday, .

   In a brief statement, Moreno said he planned on returning to the private sector and was considering going into private practice or alternative dispute resolution.

   "It has been a truly unique honor and privilege to have served the people of California as a judge for over twenty-four years and, together with my great colleagues on the Court, to have played a modest role in shaping California jurisprudence," he said in the statement.

   Moreno was on President Barack Obama's short list for the U.S. Supreme Court opening in 2009 that was ultimately filled by Elena Kagan.

   Moreno was named to the state's high court in 2001 by then-Gov. Gray Davis. Before that, he served as a Los Angeles federal judge for three years.

   The Southern California native began his judicial career in 1986 as a municipal court judge in Compton.

   His last day on the Supreme Court will be Feb. 28, Holton said.

   The governor's office did not immediately return a call for comment.