SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS/AP)- A spokesman for Gov. Jerry Brown said the Democrat plans to fill retiring California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno's seat with "a candidate who is equally knowledgeable, thoughtful and judicious."

KCBS' Melissa Culross Reports:

Moreno said Thursday he is stepping down next month after nearly a decade on the state's high court.

He is the only Democratic appointee and Latino on the court and was on President Barack Obama's short list for a U.S. Supreme Court opening in 2009.

Moreno's resignation gives Brown his first chance to fill a seat on the court since his last term as governor more than 25 years ago.

Moreno was the only justice on the seven-member court who voted to block enforcement of California's ban on same-sex marriage in 2009. Last year, he was the lone dissenting vote in a ruling that upheld the state's affirmative action ban.

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