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Cynthia Bashant
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California
Incumbent
Assumed office May 8, 2014
Appointed by	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Irma Elsa Gonzalez
Personal details
Born	Cynthia Ann Bashant (1960-03-18) March 18, 1960 (age 64) San Francisco, California
Political party	Democratic
Education	Smith College (AB) UC Law, San Francisco (JD)

Cynthia Ann Bashant (born March 18, 1960) is a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California and former judge of the San Diego County Superior Court.

Early life and education

Bashant was born in 1960 in San Francisco. She received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1982 from Smith College and a Juris Doctor in 1986 from the University of California, Hastings College of Law.

Career

Bashant began her career in private practice in San Diego, as an associate at MacDonald, Halsted & Laybourne from 1986 to 1988 and then as associate at Baker & McKenzie from 1988 to 1989, practicing civil litigation at both firms. Bashant served as an assistant United States attorney in the Southern District of California from 1989 to 2000. She served as deputy chief of narcotics from 1995 to 1997 and chief of border crimes from 1997 to 1998. In these positions, Bashant prosecuted crimes involving Mexican drug cartels and methamphetamine labs.

State and federal judicial service

From 2000 until 2014, Bashant served as a judge of the San Diego County Superior Court, handling both criminal and juvenile matters. From 2009 to 2012, she was the presiding judge for the juvenile dependency and delinquency courts.

On September 19, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Bashant to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, to the seat vacated by Judge Irma Elsa Gonzalez, who assumed senior status on March 29, 2013. On January 16, 2014 her nomination was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. On April 11, 2014 Senate Majority Leader Reid filed a motion to invoke cloture on the nomination. On April 29, 2014 a vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination was agreed to by a 56–41 vote. On April 30, 2014 the nomination was confirmed by a 94–0 vote. She received her judicial commission on May 8, 2014.

References

1. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees
2. "Judge Cynthia A. Bashant Biography" (PDF).
3. ^ Cynthia Bashant at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
4. ^ President Obama Nominates Eight to Serve on United States District Courts, White House Office of the Press Secretary (September 19, 2013).
5. Kristina Davis, Senate confirms new San Diego federal judge, San Diego Union-Tribune (April 30, 2014).
6. "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate". whitehouse.gov. 19 September 2013 – via National Archives.
7. "Executive Business Meeting". United States Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
8. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Cynthia Ann Bashant, of California, to be U.S. District Judge)". United States Senate. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
9. "On the Nomination (Confirmation Cynthia Ann Bashant, of California, to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of California)". United States Senate. Retrieved 30 April 2014.

External links

• Cynthia Bashant at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Cynthia Bashant at Ballotpedia

• 1960 births
• Living people
• 21st-century American judges
• 21st-century American women judges
• Assistant United States Attorneys
• California lawyers
• California state court judges
• Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California
• Smith College alumni
• Superior court judges in the United States
• United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama
• University of California College of the Law, San Francisco alumni