Ana de Alba | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | |
| Assumed office November 15, 2023 | |
| Appointed by | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Paul J. Watford |
| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of California | |
| In office July 7, 2022 – November 16, 2023 | |
| Appointed by | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Morrison C. England Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Kirk E. Sherriff |
| Judge of theFresno County Superior Court | |
| In office October 11, 2018 – July 7, 2022 | |
| Appointed by | Jerry Brown |
| Preceded by | Dale Ikeda |
| Succeeded by | Geoffrey Wilson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1979 (age 45–46) Merced, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley (BA,JD) |
Ana Isabel de Alba (born 1979)[1] is an American attorney who serves as aUnited States circuit judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She previously served as aUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of California from 2022 to 2023.
de Alba was born inMerced, California. She graduated from theUniversity of California, Berkeley in 2002 with aBachelor of Arts degree with highest honors. She then attended theUC Berkeley School of Law, graduating in 2007 with aJuris Doctor.[2]
de Alba worked with theACLU Immigrants' Rights Project inSan Francisco, California, in 2007.[3] From 2007 to 2013, de Alba was anassociate at Lang Richet & Patch inFresno. In 2013, she was promoted topartner, where her practice focused ontorts,employment law, andconstruction law.[4] In October 2018, GovernorJerry Brown appointed her as a judge of theFresno County Superior Court to fill the seat left vacant by the retirement of Judge Dale Ikeda.[5]
On January 19, 2022, PresidentJoe Biden nominated de Alba to serve as aUnited States district judge for theEastern District of California.[4] President Biden nominated her to the seat vacated by JudgeMorrison C. England Jr., who assumedsenior status on December 17, 2019.[6] On April 27, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before the committee.[7] On May 26, 2022, her nomination was favorably reported by the committee by a 12–10 vote.[8] On June 13, 2022, Majority LeaderChuck Schumer filedcloture on her nomination.[9] On June 16, 2022, theUnited States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 52–43 vote.[10] On June 21, 2022, her nomination was confirmed by a 53–45 vote.[11] She received her judicial commission on July 7, 2022,[12] and was sworn in on July 8, 2022.[13] Her service was terminated on November 16, 2023, due to her elevation to the court of appeals.[12]
On April 14, 2023, President Biden announced his intent to nominate de Alba to serve asUnited States circuit judge for theNinth Circuit.[14] On April 17, 2023, her nomination was sent to the Senate. Biden nominated de Alba to the seat being vacated by JudgePaul J. Watford, who subsequently resigned on May 31, 2023.[15][16] On May 17, 2023, a hearing on her nomination was held before theSenate Judiciary Committee.[17] During her confirmation hearing, Republican senators criticized her over her sentencing record during her tenure as a district court judge, as well as pointing out her lack of knowledge of basicconstitutional law, specifically with regards to theDormant Commerce Clause.[18][19][20] She was questioned over her sentencing of a man convicted of possession ofchild pornography. de Alba sentenced the man to 66-months in jail, which fell below the federal sentencing guideline of 78 to 97 months.[21][22] In 2021, de Alba released from home monitoring an illegal immigrant tied to the killing of a police officer.[23][24][25] On June 8, 2023, her nomination was reported out of committee by a party-line 11–10 vote.[26][27] On November 9, 2023, theUnited States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 49–42 vote, with SenatorJoe Manchin voting against the motion to invoke cloture on her nomination.[28] On November 13, 2023, her nomination was confirmed by a 48–43 vote, with Senator Manchin voting against confirmation.[29][30] She received her judicial commission on November 15, 2023.[12]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of California 2022–2023 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 2023–present | Incumbent |