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Trina Thompson

From Ballotpedia
Trina Thompson
United States District Court for the Northern District of California
Tenure
2022 - Present
Years in position
3
Predecessor:Phyllis Hamilton (Nonpartisan)
Prior offices:
Superior Court of Alameda County
Years in office: 2003 - 2022
Successor:Maria Morga (Nonpartisan)
Elections and appointments
Last election
March 3, 2020
Education
Bachelor's
University of California, Berkeley
Law
University of California, Berkeley
Contact

Trina Thompson is a judge on theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of California. She was nominated to the court by PresidentJoe Biden (D) on November 3, 2021, and confirmed by theUnited States Senate on May 18, 2022, by a vote of 51-44.[1][2][3] Thompson was one of 235Article III judges nominated by PresidentJoe Biden (D) and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. To see a full list of judges appointed byJoe Biden,click here.

TheUnited States District Court for the Northern District of California is one of 94U.S. District Courts. They are the generaltrial courts of theUnited States federal courts. To learn more about the court,click here.

Thompson is a former judge of theSuperior Court of Alameda County inCalifornia.

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Northern District of California

See also:Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On November 3, 2021, PresidentJoe Biden (D) nominated Thompson to theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of California. She was confirmed by a 51-44 vote of the U.S. Senate on May 18, 2022.[1][2][3] Thompson received commission on August 5, 2022.[4] To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: Trina Thompson
Court:United States District Court for the Northern District of California
Progress
Confirmed 196 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: November 3, 2021
ApprovedAABA Rating:Well Qualified
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
ApprovedAHearing: February 16, 2022
Hearing Transcript:Hearing Transcript
QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: March 10, 2022 
ApprovedAConfirmed: May 18, 2022
ApprovedAVote: 51-44


Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Thompson by a vote of 51-44 on May 18, 2022.[3] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.

Thompson confirmation vote (May 18, 2022)
PartyYeaNayNo vote
Electiondot.pngDemocratic4602
Ends.pngRepublican3443
Grey.png Independent200
Total51445

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

TheSenate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Thompson's nomination on February 16, 2022. The committee voted to advance Thompson's nomination to the full Senate on March 10, 2022.[3]

Nomination

On November 3, 2021, PresidentJoe Biden (D) nominated Thompson to theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of California.[1][2]

Thompson's nomination was returned to the president at thesine die adjournment of theU.S. Senate on January 3, 2022.[5] The president renominated Thompson on the same day.[3]

Thompson was nominated to replace JudgePhyllis Hamilton, who assumedsenior status on February 1, 2021.[2]

TheAmerican Bar Association rated ThompsonWell Qualified.[6] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.

Biography

Education

Thompson received a bachelor's degree and aJ.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.[7]

Career

About the court

Northern District of California
Ninth Circuit
Great seal of the United States.png
Judgeships
Posts: 14
Judges: 14
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief:Richard Seeborg
Active judges:Vince Girdhari Chhabria,James Donato,Beth Labson Freeman,Haywood Stirling Gilliam Jr.,Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers,Eumi Lee,Rita Lin,Araceli Martinez-Olguin,P. Casey Pitts,Jacqueline Scott Corley,Richard Seeborg,Trina Thompson,Jon S. Tigar,Noël Wise

Senior judges:
William Alsup,Saundra Armstrong,Charles Breyer,Edward Chen,Maxine Chesney,Edward J. Davila,Phyllis Hamilton,Thelton Henderson,Susan Illston,William Orrick III,Jeffrey White,Claudia Wilken


TheUnited States District Court for the Northern District of California is one of 94United States district courts. It is headquartered inSan Francisco, with courthouses in Oakland, San Jose, and Eureka. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit based in downtownSan Francisco at the James R. Browning Federal Courthouse.

The Counties of the Northern District of California (click for larger map)

The Northern District of California hasoriginal jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

There are three court divisions, each covering the following counties:

TheOakland Division, coveringAlameda andContra Costa counties.[8]

TheSan Francisco Division, coveringDel Norte,Humboldt,Lake,Mendocino,Marin,Napa,San Francisco,San Mateo, andSonoma counties.[8]

TheSan Jose Division, coveringMonterey,San Benito,Santa Clara, andSanta Cruz counties.[8]

To read opinions published by this court, clickhere.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

  • The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
  • The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by theSenate Judiciary Committee.
  • The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
  • As part of this process, the committee sends ablue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
  • After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
  • If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
  • If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
  • The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
  • If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
  • If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.


Elections

2020

See also:Municipal elections in Alameda County, California (2020)

Incumbent Trina Thompson was the only candidate to file and won the position by default when the election was canceled.

2014

See also:California judicial elections, 2014
Thompson ran for re-election to theAlameda County Superior Court.
As an unopposed incumbent, she was automatically re-elected without appearing on the ballot.[9] 

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Trina Thompson did not completeBallotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

See also

External links

Officeholder

United States District Court for the Northern District of California

  • Website

    • Footnotes

    1. ↑1.01.11.2The White House, "President Biden Names Ninth Round of Judicial Nominees," November 3, 2021
    2. ↑2.02.12.22.3Congress.gov, "PN1359 — Trina L. Thompson — The Judiciary," accessed November 4, 2021
    3. ↑3.03.13.23.33.4Congress.gov, "PN1510 — Trina L. Thompson — The Judiciary," accessed January 5, 2022
    4. ↑Federal Judicial Center, "Thompson, Trina Lynn," accessed August 10, 2022
    5. ↑Under Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, pending nominations are returned to the president if the Senate adjourns sine die or recesses for more than 30 days.
    6. ↑American Bar Association, "RATINGS OF ARTICLE III AND ARTICLE IV JUDICIAL NOMINEES, 117TH CONGRESS, last updated February 15, 2022
    7. ↑7.07.1Cite error: Invalid<ref> tag; no text was provided for refs namedpr
    8. ↑8.08.18.2United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Jurisdiction Map
    9. ↑Alameda County Registrar of Voters, "Candidate Filed Log for June 3, 2014 election, accessed March 14, 2014"

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    Phyllis Hamilton    		United States District Court for the Northern District of California
    2022-Present    		Succeeded by
    -
    Preceded by
    -    		Superior Court of Alameda County
    2003-2022    		Succeeded by
    Maria Morga
    Flag of California.svg
    v • e
    Federal judges who have served theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of California
    Active judges

    Chief Judge: Richard Seeborg  •  Beth Labson Freeman  •  Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers  •  Trina Thompson  •  Jon S. Tigar  •  Jacqueline Scott Corley  •  James Donato  •  Vince Girdhari Chhabria  •  Haywood Stirling Gilliam, Jr.  •  Noël Wise  •  Rita Lin  •  Eumi Lee  •  Araceli Martínez-Olguín  •  P. Casey Pitts

    Senior judges

    Thelton Henderson  •  William Alsup (California)  •  Saundra Armstrong  •  Charles Breyer  •  Maxine Chesney  •  Phyllis Hamilton  •  Susan Illston  •  Claudia Wilken  •  Edward Chen  •  Jeffrey White  •  Edward J. Davila  •  William Orrick III  •  

    Magistrate judgesKandis Westmore  •  Laurel Beeler  •  Nathanael Cousins  •  Donna Ryu  •  Sallie Kim  •  Susan van Keulen  •  Thomas Hixson  •  Alex Tse  •  Robert Illman  •  Virginia DeMarchi  •  
    Former Article III judges

    Dal Lemmon  •  Oliver Hamlin  •  Cecil Poole  •  Ogden Hoffman  •  William Morrow  •  John Jefferson DeHaven  •  William Cary Van Fleet  •  Maurice Timothy Dooling  •  John Slater Partridge  •  Vaughn Walker  •  Jeremy Fogel  •  Marilyn Patel  •  James Ware  •  Ronald Whyte  •  Frank Henry Kerrigan  •  Harold Louderback  •  Adolphus Frederic St. Sure  •  Michael Roche (California)  •  Sherrill Halbert  •  Thomas MacBride  •  Martin Welsh  •  Robert Aguilar (California federal judge)  •  Oliver Carter  •  Barbara Caulfield  •  Herbert Erskine  •  Monroe Friedman  •  Louis Goodman  •  George Harris (California)  •  William Ingram (California)  •  Charles Legge  •  Gerald Levin  •  Eugene Lynch  •  William Orrick Jr.  •  Robert Peckham  •  Charles Renfrew  •  Robert Schnacke  •  Fern Smith (California)  •  William Sweigert  •  John Vukasin  •  Stanley Weigel  •  Spencer Williams  •  Delwen Jensen  •  Samuel Conti  •  Patrica Trumbull  •  Albert Wollenberg  •  Alfonso Zirpoli  •  Lloyd Burke  •  Martin J. Jenkins  •  Lucy H. Koh (California)  •  

    Former Chief judges

    Vaughn Walker  •  Thelton Henderson  •  Phyllis Hamilton  •  Marilyn Patel  •  James Ware  •  Michael Roche (California)  •  Oliver Carter  •  Louis Goodman  •  George Harris (California)  •  William Ingram (California)  •  Robert Peckham  •  


    Joe Biden
    v • e
    Federal judges nominated to Article III courts byJoe Biden
    Commissioned in 2025

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    Commissioned in 2022

    David Herrera Urias •Gabriel Sanchez •Holly Thomas •Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong •David Ruiz •Charles Fleming •Bridget Brennan •Leonard Stark •Alison J. Nathan •John Chun •Julie Rubin •Jacqueline Scott Corley •Ruth Bermudez Montenegro •Victoria Calvert •Georgette Castner •Anne Traum •Cristina Silva •Ketanji Brown Jackson (Supreme Court) •Sarah Geraghty •Hector Gonzalez •Fred Slaughter •Jennifer Rochon •Robert Huie •Sunshine S. Sykes • Stephanie Dawkins Davis • Evelyn Padin • Sherilyn P. Garnett • Ana de Alba • J. Michelle Childs • Trina Thompson • Elizabeth Hanes • Nancy Maldonado • Nina Morrison • Gregory Williams • John Z. Lee • Sal Mendoza, Jr. • Lara Montecalvo • Florence Pan • Andre Mathis • Sarah A.L. Merriam •Jennifer Rearden • Roopali Desai • María Antongiorgi-Jordán • Camille Vélez-Rivé • Doris Pryor • Frances Kay Behm • Dana Douglas • Mia Roberts Perez • Anne Nardacci •Jeffery P. Hopkins

    Commissioned in 2021

    Ketanji Brown Jackson • Zahid Quraishi •Julien Xavier Neals • Deborah Boardman • Regina Rodriguez • Candace Jackson-Akiwumi • Lydia Kay Griggsby • Tiffany Cunningham • Eunice Lee • Angel Kelley •Florence Pan •Veronica Rossman • David G. Estudillo • Sarah A.L. Merriam •Gustavo Gelpí • Christine O'Hearn •Margaret Strickland • Karen McGlashan Williams •Patricia Tolliver Giles • Toby Heytens •Michael Nachmanoff •Sarala Nagala • Beth Robinson • Omar A. Williams • Myrna Pérez • Jia Cobb • Tana Lin • Lauren King • Lucy H. Koh • Jennifer Sung • Samantha Elliott • Katherine Menendez • Mary Dimke • Linda Lopez • Shalina Kumar • Jane Beckering • Jinsook Ohta • Jennifer L. Thurston •Stephen Locher •Charlotte Sweeney •Nina Nin-Yuen Wang •Arianna Freeman •Jerry Blackwell