James E. Simmons Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Judge of theUnited 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 theSan 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 45–46) Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic[1] |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley (BA) Golden Gate University (JD) |
James Edward Simmons Jr. (born 1979)[2] is an American lawyer serving as aUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of California. He served as a judge of theSan Diego County Superior Court from 2017 to 2023.
Simmons was raised inLos Angeles. He received aBachelor of Arts from theUniversity of California, Berkeley in 2001 and aJuris Doctor from theGolden Gate University School of Law in 2004.[3]
In 2005, Simmons was a deputy city attorney in theSan Diego City Attorney's Office. From 2006 to 2017, he was a deputy district attorney in theSan Diego County District Attorney's Office.[3][4] During his tenure, he worked in thejuvenile division, the superior court division and thegangs division. He has volunteered for Project LEAD.[5]
On November 2, 2017, GovernorJerry Brown appointed Simmons as a judge of theSan 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.
On July 14, 2022, PresidentJoe Biden nominated Simmons to serve as aUnited States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.[3] SenatorsAlex Padilla andDianne Feinstein support his nomination.[8] President Biden nominated Simmons to the seat vacated by JudgeAnthony J. Battaglia, who assumedsenior status on March 31, 2021.[9] On November 30, 2022, a hearing on his nomination was held before theSenate Judiciary Committee.[10] On January 3, 2023, his nomination was returned to the President underRule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of theUnited 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]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of California 2023–present | Incumbent |