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Black California Judge Among Frontrunner Nominees to Fill U.S. Supreme Court Vacancy

As a lawyer, California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, 45, held various positions in public and private practice until she joined the U.S. Solicitor General’s Office during the Obama Administration where she argued 12 cases before the Supreme Court. Married and the mother of two young children, she joined the California State Supreme Court in 2015 where her decisions have been considered a stable, left-leaning voice.

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Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger. Photo by Lonnie Tague, US Department of Justice via Wikimedia Commons.
Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger. Photo by Lonnie Tague, US Department of Justice via Wikimedia Commons.

California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, 45, is one of two Black women favored for nomination by Pres. Joe Biden to the U.S. Supreme Court when Associate Justice Stephen Breyer steps down in June.

The daughter of a Jamaican mother and Jewish father — both of whom are pediatricians — Kruger was raised in Glendale, Ca., later attending Harvard University followed by Yale Law School. As a lawyer, she held various positions in public and private practice until she joined the U.S. Solicitor General’s Office during the Obama Administration where she argued 12 cases before the Supreme Court. Married and the mother of two young children, she joined the California State Supreme Court in 2015 where her decisions have been considered a stable, left-leaning voice.

With Kruger or Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the other Black women considered a good choice for the job, Biden would be fulfilling a campaign promise made while he was on the road in 2020.

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Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025

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Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025

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IN MEMORIAM: William ‘Bill’ Patterson, 94

Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.

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William "Bill" Patterson, 94. Photo courtesy of the Patterson family.

William “Bill” Patterson, 94, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2025, at his home in Oakland, CA. He was born on May 19, 1931, to Marie Childress Patterson and William Benjamin Patterson in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from Dunbar High School and traveled to Oakland, California, in 1948. William Patterson graduated from San Francisco State University, earning both graduate and undergraduate degrees. He married Euradell “Dell” Patterson in 1961. Bill lovingly took care of his wife, Dell, until she died in 2020.

Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.

He served on the boards of Oakland’s Urban Strategies Council, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, and the Oakland Workforce Development Board.

He was a three-term president of the Oakland branch of the NAACP.

Bill was initiated in the Gamma Alpha chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

In 1997 Bill was appointed to the East Bay Utility District Board of Directors. William Patterson was the first African American Board President and served the board for 27 years.

Bill’s impact reached far beyond his various important and impactful positions.

Bill mentored politicians, athletes and young people. Among those he mentored and advised are legends Joe Morgan, Bill Russell, Frank Robinson, Curt Flood, and Lionel Wilson to name a few.

He is survived by his son, William David Patterson, and one sister, Sarah Ann Strickland, and a host of other family members and friends.

A celebration of life service will take place at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center (Calvin Simmons Theater) on November 21, 2025, at 10 AM.

His services are being livestreamed at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1250167107131991/

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Euradell and William Patterson scholarship fund TBA.

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