Senate Confirms Superior Court Judge Michelle Williams Court as United States District Judge for the Central District of California

On September 18, 2024, the United States Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s nomination of Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michelle Williams Court to serve as a federal district judge for the United States District Court for the Central District of California.  Judge Court will preside over matters in Los Angeles in the Court’s Western Division.

Judge Court has served as a Superior Court Judge for Los Angeles County since 2012 following her appointment by Governor Jerry Brown.  Judge Court has presided over civil and family law matters.  She has served as Supervising Judge of the Civil Division since December 2022 and served as Assistant Supervising Judge of the Civil Division from January 2021 to December 2022.  Judge Court has also served on the Judicial Council of California’s Rules and Technology Committees and several of its advisory bodies, the California Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Ethics Opinions, and several of the Los Angeles County Superior Court’s committees.

Prior to her appointment as a Superior Court Judge, from 2002 to 2012, Judge Court served in multiple roles at Bet Tzedek Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm focused on poverty law.  There she worked as Deputy Director of Litigation, Director of Litigation, interim President and CEO, and finally as Vice President and General Counsel.  As Vice President and General Counsel, she directed the legal work of more than 30 staff attorneys and advocates, supervised the Human Resources and Pro Bono Departments, and implemented the strategic vision to the organization, which includes direct services and impact litigation.  Additionally, in 2006, Judge Court served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles where she co-taught a seminar on poverty law.

Before joining Bet Tzedek, from 2000 to 2002, Judge Court worked as a senior associate at Milberg, Weiss, Bershad Hynes & Lerach where her practice focused on consumer and civil rights class actions involving unfair business practices.  From 1999 to 2000, Judge Court worked on Fair Housing Act policy and enforcement initiatives as a Community Builder Fellow, Civil Rights Specialist at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

From 1995 to 1999, Judge Court worked as an associate at Litt & Márquez where she focused on multi-plaintiff and class action employment and housing cases.  From 1994 to 1995, she worked for the ACLU of Southern California as a project attorney on a team representing individual and organizational plaintiffs in Native American burial site and workplace disputes.  From 1993 to 1994, Judge Court worked as an associate at Gilbert, Kelly, Crowley & Jennett where she represented defendants suspected of insurance fraud in automobile accident cases.

Throughout her career, Judge Court has been active in several bar and judges associations.  She has also dedicated significant time to legal education, outreach, and mentorship, including by presiding over many moot court programs and competitions.

Judge Court received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Pomona College in 1988 and her Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles in 1993.

Judge Court fills the vacancy that arose when District Judge Dale S. Fischer assumed senior status in May 2024.  Including the appointment of Judge Court, the Central District of California has 28 authorized Article III judgeships, two of which are currently unfilled.  The Central District of California is comprised of the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo.  It serves more than 19.3 million people, nearly half the population of the State of California.

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BRIAN D. KARTH
DISTRICT COURT EXECUTIVE / CLERK OF COURT