James Edward Simmons Jr. (born 1979)[2] is an American lawyer serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. He served as a judge of the San Diego County Superior Court from 2017 to 2023.
James E. Simmons Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California | |
| Assumed office March 10, 2023 | |
| Appointed by | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Anthony J. Battaglia |
| Judge of the San Diego County Superior Court | |
| In office November 2, 2017 – March 10, 2023 | |
| Appointed by | Jerry Brown |
| Preceded by | David M. Szumowski |
| Succeeded by | Alejandro Morales |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Edward Simmons Jr. 1979 (age 44–45) Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic[1] |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley (BA) Golden Gate University (JD) |
Early life and education
editSimmons was raised in Los Angeles. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley in 2001 and a Juris Doctor from the Golden Gate University School of Law in 2004.[3]
Career
editIn 2005, Simmons was a deputy city attorney in the San Diego City Attorney's Office. From 2006 to 2017, he was a deputy district attorney in the San Diego County District Attorney's Office.[3][4] During his tenure, he worked in the juvenile division, the superior court division and the gangs division. He has volunteered for Project LEAD.[5]
State judicial service
editOn November 2, 2017, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Simmons as a judge of the San Diego County Superior Court to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Judge David M. Szumowski.[6][7] He left the state bench in March 2023 when he was appointed to the federal bench.
Federal judicial service
editOn July 14, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Simmons to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.[3] Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein support his nomination.[8] President Biden nominated Simmons to the seat vacated by Judge Anthony J. Battaglia, who assumed senior status on March 31, 2021.[9] On November 30, 2022, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[10] On January 3, 2023, his nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate. He was renominated on January 23, 2023.[11] On February 9, 2023, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 13–8 vote.[12] On March 1, 2023, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 51–45 vote.[13] On March 9, 2023, his nomination was confirmed by a 51–43 vote.[14] He received his judicial commission on March 10, 2023.[15]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Governor Brown Appoints 34 Superior Court Judges". www.ca.gov. November 2, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c "President Biden Names Twenty-Third Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. June 29, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Biden nominates two for San Diego federal court bench". San Diego Union-Tribune. July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "Deputy DA Appointed to Superior Court Bench". 2 November 2017.
- ^ Sklar, Debbie L. (November 2, 2017). "Gov. Brown Appoints 2 to San Diego Superior Court Judgeships". Times of San Diego. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ Danewscenter (November 2, 2017). "Deputy DA Appointed to Superior Court Bench". DA NewsCenter. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "Feinstein, Padilla Support Nomination of Judges Simmons, Schopler to Southern District Court". United States Senator for California. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "PN2384 - Nomination of James Edward Simmons Jr. for The Judiciary, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". www.congress.gov. July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. November 30, 2022.
- ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. January 23, 2023.
- ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – February 9, 2023" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: James Edward Simmons, Jr., to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of California)". United States Senate. March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: James Edward Simmons, Jr., of California, to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of California)". United States Senate. March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ James E. Simmons Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
External links
edit- James E. Simmons Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- James Simmons at Ballotpedia