Division One: Associate Justice Gregory J. Weingart

Justice Gregory J. Weingart is an Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division One.  He was nominated by Governor Gavin Newsom to the Court of Appeal in October 2022.  The Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation rated him “exceptionally well qualified,” and the Commission on Judicial Appointments unanimously confirmed him in November 2022.   

Justice Weingart grew up in Arizona before attending Pomona College, where he graduated cum laude, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and won the senior prize in philosophy.  After college, he worked at the American Civil Liberties Union, and in Iowa and New Hampshire on a presidential campaign during the 1988 nominating process.  He thereafter attended Harvard Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude and along with his teammates won the Ames Moot Court competition.

Upon graduation from law school, Justice Weingart clerked for the Honorable Wm. Matthew Byrne, Jr. in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.  After his clerkship, he was an associate at Munger Tolles & Olson LLP in Los Angeles from 1992 until 1995.  He served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles from 1995 until 2004, where he specialized in the criminal prosecution of white collar and corporate crime and served as the chief of the Major Frauds section.  As a federal prosecutor, Justice Weingart tried numerous cases to verdict and argued frequently in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  He received many accolades for his service as a federal prosecutor, including twice winning the Department of Justice’s Director’s Award, and frequently taught other prosecutors at the Department’s National Advocacy Center.  

After leaving government service, Justice Weingart was a partner at Munger Tolles & Olson for nearly 15 years, where he practiced in the areas of complex civil litigation, criminal defense, and internal investigations.  While at Munger Tolles, he sat on the firm’s management committee and co-chaired its recruiting committee.  He had an active pro bono practice, and served on the boards of non-profit organizations including Mental Health Advocacy Services and Bridges Academy, a school for children with learning differences.  His involvement with bar associations included the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Litigation Section and Judicial Elections Evaluation Committee, and the American Bar Association’s White Collar Crime committee.

Justice Weingart was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court by Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. in December 2017.  While a Superior Court judge, he presided primarily over family law matters, and was involved in various committees and court initiatives focused on victims of domestic violence.  He also was actively involved in judicial and bar education events. 

In his personal time, Justice Weingart enjoys spending time with his family and being outdoors.  He has summited Denali, Mount Rainer, and peaks in the Ecuadorian Andes, rock climbed the East Face of Mount Whitney, and enjoys fly fishing, cycling and snow sports.