SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- A congressional candidate in California's Central Valley can note on ballots that he used to be an astronaut.

A Sacramento County judge ruled Thursday that Democrat Jose Hernandez can use the ballot designation "astronaut." Hernandez is challenging freshman Rep. Jeff Denham, a Republican from Turlock, for California's 10th District seat.

A Sacramento law firm had argued in a lawsuit that Hernandez's use of the moniker would violate state elections law because Hernandez has left NASA. Hernandez had flown aboard the shuttle Discovery in 2009.

The Sacramento Bee reports ( http://bit.ly/H3yHKG ) that Superior Court Judge Lloyd Connelly ruled that ballot designations apparently can reflect a profession or vocation held during the previous calendar year. Hernandez spent two weeks at NASA in 2011 before leaving the agency.

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Information from: The Sacramento Bee, http://www.sacbee.com