Padilla Applauds Confirmation of Judge Michelle Williams Court to the Central District of California
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, applauded the confirmation of Judge Michelle Williams Court, a judge on the Los Angeles County Superior Court, to fill a vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Judge Court is the 212th judge confirmed under the Biden-Harris Administration, during which more Black women have been confirmed to lifetime judgeships than under any other administration.
“Throughout her career, Judge Michelle Williams Court has demonstrated a deep commitment to serving low-income clients and fighting for justice in the greater Los Angeles community,” said Senator Padilla. “She has earned the respect of her peers with 18 years of state and federal civil litigation experience while generously dedicating time to support local Los Angeles legal and community organizations. After 12 years as a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, I look forward to her continued service to the Central District.”
Judge Michelle Williams Court has been a judge on the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County since 2012, and supervising judge in the Court’s civil division since 2023. Previously, Judge Court worked as an attorney and later vice president and general counsel at Bet Tzedek Legal Services from 2002 to 2011. Before that, Judge Court worked as a senior associate at Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach from 2000 to 2002; as a fellow and civil rights specialist at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1999 to 2000; as a litigation associate at Litt & Marquez from 1995 to 1999; as a project attorney at the ACLU of Southern California from 1994 to 1995; and as an associate at Gilbert Kelly Crowley & Jennett from 1993 to 1994. Judge Court received her J.D. from Loyola Law School in 1993 and her B.A. from Pomona College in 1988.
Senator Padilla is committed to rebuilding a federal judiciary that better reflects and is receptive to 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 that is 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 of race, gender, as well as legal and professional experience during an event hosted by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. 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 Judge Court.
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