Jinsook Ohta
2021 - Present
2
Jinsook Ohta is a judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. She was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on September 30, 2021, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 17, 2021, by a vote of 47-24.[1][2] To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.
The United States District Court for the Southern District of California is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.
Prior to her confirmation, Ohta was a judge for the Superior Court of San Diego County in California. She was appointed to the court on December 8, 2020, by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to replace Lantz Lewis.[3]
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the Southern District of California (2021-present)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden
On September 30, 2021, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Jinsook Ohta to the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. She was confirmed on December 17, 2021, by a vote of 47-24. She received commission on December 27, 2021.[1][2] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Jinsook Ohta |
| Court: United States District Court for the Southern District of California |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 78 days after nomination. |
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Ohta by a vote of 47-24 on December 17, 2021.[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Ohta confirmation vote (December 17, 2021) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
| 44 | 0 | 4 | |||||||
| 2 | 24 | 24 | |||||||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
| Total | 47 | 24 | 29 | ||||||
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Ohta's nomination on November 3, 2021. The committee voted to advance Ohta's nomination to the full Senate on December 2, 2021.
Nomination
On September 30, 2021, President Joe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Ohta to the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.[1] The president officially nominated Ohta on the same day.[2]
Ohta was nominated to replace Judge Barry Moskowitz, who assumed senior status on January 23, 2019.[2]
The American Bar Association rated Ohta Well qualified by a majority and qualified by a minority.[4] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Superior Court of San Diego County (2020-present)
Ohta was appointed to the Superior Court of San Diego County on December 8, 2020, by Gov. Gavin Newsom to replace Lantz Lewis. Although California Superior Court judges are elected in nonpartisan elections, a press release from Gov. Newsom's office announcing Ohta's appointment on December 8, 2020, identified her as a Democrat.[3]
Biography
Education
Ohta earned a bachelor's degree, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Yale University in 1998. She earned a J.D. from the New York University School of Law in 2001.[1]
Career
- 2021-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of California
- 2020-2021: Judge, Superior Court of San Diego County
- 2019-2020: Supervising Deputy Attorney General, California Attorney General’s Office
- 2011-2019: Deputy Attorney General, California Attorney General's Office
- 2007-2008, 2001-2002: Law Clerk for the Honorable Barry Moskowitz at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
- 2006-2007: Visiting Assistant Professor of Law, Thomas Jefferson School of Law
- 2003-2006: Associate, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton
- 2002-2003: Associate, O’Melveny & Myers[3]
About the court
| Southern District of California |
|---|
| Ninth Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 13 |
| Judges: 11 |
| Vacancies: 2 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Dana Sabraw |
| Active judges: Cynthia A. Bashant, Cathy Bencivengo, Robert Huie, Linda Lopez, Ruth Bermudez Montenegro, Jinsook Ohta, Todd Robinson, Dana Sabraw, Janis Sammartino, Andrew G. Schopler, James Simmons Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Southern District of California is one of 94 United States district courts. The district operates out of three courthouses in San Diego and one in El Centro. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit based in downtown San Francisco at the James R. Browning Federal Courthouse.
The Southern District of California has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
The geographic jurisdiction of the Southern District of California consists of the Imperial and San Diego counties in the southern part of the state of California.
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
The federal nomination process
Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:
- The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
- The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
- As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
- After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
- If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
- If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
- The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
- If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
- If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.
See also
- United States District Court for the Southern District of California
- Superior Court of San Diego County, California
- Courts in California
External links
- United States District Court for the Southern District of California
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The White House, "President Biden Names Eighth Round of Judicial Nominees," September 30, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Congress.gov, "PN1213 — Jinsook Ohta — The Judiciary," accessed October 1, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, "Governor Newsom Appoints 12 Superior Court Judges 12.8.20," December 8, 2020
- ↑ American Bar Association, "RATINGS OF ARTICLE III AND ARTICLE IV JUDICIAL NOMINEES - 117TH CONGRESS," Last updated November 2, 2021
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Barry Moskowitz |
Southern District of California 2021-present |
Succeeded by: NA
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Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California
State courts:
California Supreme Court • California Courts of Appeal • California Superior Courts
State resources:
Courts in California • California judicial elections • Judicial selection in California
