Padilla, Schiff Applaud Confirmation of Federal Judges to California District Courts

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, applauded the confirmation of three federal judges to fill vacancies on U.S. District Courts in California. The recently confirmed judges include Judges Anne Hwang and Cynthia Valenzuela to the U.S. District Court for the Central District and Judge Noël Wise to the Northern District.

"These three confirmations to California federal District Courts are a product of Senate Democrats working around the clock alongside President Biden to identify and confirm record numbers of highly qualified and diverse judges," said Senator Padilla. "Judges Hwang, Valenzuela, and Wise possess a wealth of judicial and litigation experience, and I am confident they will continue to serve the people of California with honor."

"Cynthia Valenzuela and Noël Wise are extremely well qualified, dedicated public servants. They will make outstanding jurists. I was proud to support them - and I congratulate them on their confirmation to the bench," said Senator Schiff.

"One of the most critical duties in representing the people of California in the Senate is ensuring access to fair and equitable justice," said former California Senator Laphonza Butler. "I applaud the Senate's confirmation of Judges Anne Hwang, Noël Wise, and Cynthia Valenzuela - all highly-qualified women who bring a wealth of experience to federal bench. By confirming these exceptional jurists, the Senate has taken important steps to deliver on the fundamental promise of justice for all."

Senator Padilla has worked closely with the Biden Administration to recommend and support the nominations of highly qualified, outstanding judges to the federal courts, including 33 confirmations in California. Senator Padilla is committed to rebuilding a federal judiciary that better reflects the America it serves. Within weeks of being sworn into the Senate, one of Padilla's first initiatives was to establish a Judicial Evaluation Commission, comprised of majority attorneys of color and women, to evaluate candidates for federal judicial vacancies in California. Earlier this year, Padilla highlighted the importance of federal judicial diversity in race, gender, legal experience, and professional background during an event hosted by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

Judge Anne Hwang: U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

Judge Anne Hwang has been a judge on the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County since 2019. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Hwang served as a Deputy Federal Public Defender in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California from 2006 to 2018, becoming Chief Deputy Federal Public Defender in 2018. Before that, Judge Hwang worked as a litigation associate at Irell & Manella LLP from 2002 to 2006. She received her J.D. from the University of Southern California Law School in 2002 and her B.A. from Cornell University in 1997.

Judge Cynthia Valenzuela: U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

Judge Cynthia Valenzuela has been a judge on the California State Bar Court in Los Angeles since her appointment by the California Supreme Court in 2016. Previously, Judge Valenzuela worked as the Criminal Justice Act Supervising Attorney for the Central District of California in Los Angeles from 2011 to 2016 and as the head of national litigation at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund in Los Angeles from 2006 to 2011. Before that, Judge Valenzuela served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California from 2000 to 2006; as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C. from 1998 to 2000; and as a Special Assistant at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in Los Angeles from 1995 to 1998. She received her J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law in 1995 and her B.A. from the University of Arizona in 1991.

Judge Noël Wise: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Judge Noël Wise has been a judge on the Superior Court of California in Alameda County since 2014, and a supervising judge since 2019. From 2021 to 2022, she served as a Judge Pro Tem for the California Second District Court of Appeal. She previously practiced law as a partner at Wise Gleicher in Alameda, California from 2006 to 2014 after working as in-house counsel for Pacific Gas and Electric Company in San Francisco from 2004 to 2006. From 2002 to 2004, Judge Wise was of counsel at Stoel Rives LLP in San Francisco. Before entering private practice, Judge Wise served as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice, Environmental and Natural Resources Division in Washington, D.C. from 1994 to 2002, where she entered through the Honors Program. From 1997 to 1998, she was detailed to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. Judge Wise served as a law clerk for Justice Harry Lee Anstead on the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeals from 1993 to 1994. She received her J.S.M. from Stanford Law School in 2002; her J.D., cum laude, from Nova Southeastern University Law School in 1993; and her B.S. from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in 1989.

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