Padilla, Feinstein Support Nomination of Judges Simmons, Schopler to Southern District Court
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein (both D-Calif.) today released the following statement on President Biden’s nomination of Judges James Simmons Jr. and Andrew Schopler to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California:
“Judges Simmons and Schopler are two extremely well-qualified nominees with significant judicial experience. They will make excellent district court judges and we are proud to support them.
“Throughout their careers, both judges have displayed a deep understanding of the role the judiciary plays in people’s lives. Judge Simmons has served on the California Superior Court for San Diego County for nearly five years, and Judge Schopler has been a federal magistrate since 2016. Prior to joining the bench, they both had distinguished careers in the public legal sector.
“These two judges highlight President Biden’s commitment to judicial diversity on the federal bench. They will make outstanding additions to California’s Southern District Court, which has one of the highest caseloads in the country.
“We hope the Senate will move swiftly to confirm these nominees and that the White House will quickly process our other recommendations to fill the state’s remaining federal court vacancies.”
As members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senators Feinstein and Padilla have worked closely with the Biden administration to recommend and support the nominations of highly qualified, outstanding judges to federal courts.
Judge James Edward Simmons Jr: Candidate for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California
Judge James Edward Simmons Jr. has been a judge on the California Superior Court since 2017. He is currently the Supervising Judge of the North County Branch of the San Diego Superior Court. From 2006 to 2017, he was a Deputy District Attorney in the San Diego District Attorney’s Office. In 2005, Judge Simmons was a Deputy City Attorney in the San Diego City Attorney’s Office.
Judge Simmons received his J.D from Golden Gate University School of Law in 2004 and B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley in 2001.
Judge Andrew G. Schopler: Candidate for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California
Judge Andrew G. Schopler has served as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of California since 2016. From 2004 to 2016, Judge Schopler was an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. He worked at Rudolf and Maher in Chapel Hill, North Carolina from 1998 to 2004 He was a solo practitioner from 1997 to 1998.
Judge Schopler received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1997 and his B.A., summa cum laude, from Dartmouth College in 1994. He has served in the United States Army Reserve and California Army National Guard since 2014.
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