James E. Simmons Jr.
American judge (born 1979)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Edward Simmons Jr. (born 1979)[2] is an American lawyer serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. He served as a judge of the San Diego County Superior Court from 2017 to 2023.
James E. Simmons Jr. | |
|---|---|
| |
| Judge of the United 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 the San 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 46–47) Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic[1] |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley (BA) Golden Gate University (JD) |
Early life and education
Simmons was raised in Los Angeles. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley in 2001 and a Juris Doctor from the Golden Gate University School of Law in 2004.[3]
Career
In 2005, Simmons was a deputy city attorney in the San Diego City Attorney's Office. From 2006 to 2017, he was a deputy district attorney in the San Diego County District Attorney's Office.[3][4] During his tenure, he worked in the juvenile division, the superior court division and the gangs division. He has volunteered for Project LEAD.[5]
State judicial service
On November 2, 2017, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Simmons as a judge of the San 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.
Federal judicial service
On July 14, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Simmons to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.[3] Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein support his nomination.[8] President Biden nominated Simmons to the seat vacated by Judge Anthony J. Battaglia, who assumed senior status on March 31, 2021.[9] On November 30, 2022, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[10] On January 3, 2023, his nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United 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]
