Thomas J. Whelan
Senior Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of California
Incumbent
Assumed office August 15, 2010
Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of California
In office October 22, 1998 – August 15, 2010
Appointed by	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	John Skylstead Rhoades Sr.
Succeeded by	Gonzalo P. Curiel
Judge of the Superior Court of California, San Diego County
In office 1990–1998
Personal details
Born	Thomas John Whelan[1] (1940-02-21)February 21, 1940 (age 85)[2] St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.[2]
Spouse	Catherine A. Lindseth[2]
Residence(s)	San Diego, California, U.S.[2]
Education	University of San Diego (BA,JD)

Thomas John Whelan (born February 21, 1940) is aseniorUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of California.

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Whelan received aBachelor of Arts degree from theUniversity of San Diego in 1961 and aJuris Doctor from theUniversity of San Diego School of Law in 1965.

Whelan was a contracts administrator, planner and estimator forGeneral Dynamics Corp. from 1961 to 1969. He was a deputy district attorney of San Diego from 1969 to 1989.

Whelan was a judge on theSan Diego County Superior Court from 1990 to 1998. As a superior court judge, Whelan presided over the infamousBetty Broderick trials in San Diego.

Whelan is a United States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of California. Whelan was nominated by PresidentBill Clinton on June 4, 1998, to a seat vacated byJohn Skylstead Rhoades Sr. He was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on October 21, 1998, and received his commission on October 22, 1998. He assumedsenior status on August 15, 2010.

Notable cases that Whelan has presided over on the district bench include:

• In 2003, Whelan was the judge assigned to a lawsuit brought by theImperial Irrigation District (representing farmers in theImperial Valley, California), against theU.S. Department of the Interior, challenging the federal government's 11% cut inColorado River water allocated to farmers. In 2003, Whelan ordered a reversal in the cuts pending the resolution of the suit.^[3]
• In 2004, Whelan denied theRincon Band of Luiseno Mission Indians's motion for atemporary restraining order seeking to block California GovernorArnold Schwarzenegger's new compacts with five other Indian tribes allowing them to establishcasinos in exchange for the tribes contributing a share of the revenue to the State of California. Whelan held that Schwarzenegger had the power to enter into compacts with the tribes on behalf of California.^[4]
• In 2020, Whelan presided over the criminal case ofDuncan D. Hunter, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal $150,000 in his campaign funds for personal use. Whelan sentenced Hunter to 11 months in prison.^[5]

• Thomas J. Whelan at theBiographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of theFederal Judicial Center.

• 1940 births
• Living people
• 20th-century California state court judges
• 21st-century American judges
• California state court judges
• Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California
• Lawyers from San Diego
• Superior court judges in the United States
• United States district court judges appointed by Bill Clinton
• University of San Diego alumni
• University of San Diego School of Law alumni

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• FJC Bio template with ID same as Wikidata
• Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges