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Gabriel P. Sanchez
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office January 24, 2022
Appointed by	Joe Biden
Preceded by	Marsha Berzon
Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District
In office October 26, 2018 – January 24, 2022
Appointed by	Jerry Brown
Preceded by	Robert L. Dondero
Succeeded by	Monique Langhorne Wilson
Personal details
Born	1976 (age 47–48) Fullerton, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Yale University (BA, JD) University of Cambridge (MPhil)

Gabriel Patrick Sanchez (born 1976) is an American lawyer who has served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit since 2022. He served as an associate judge of the California Court of Appeal from 2018 to 2022.

Early life and education

A Los Angeles native, Sanchez graduated from Harvard-Westlake School in 1994. He received his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Yale College in 1998. He was a Fulbright Scholar in 1999 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and in 2000 he received a Master of Philosophy in European Studies from the University of Cambridge. From 2000 to 2002, he worked for McKinsey & Company as a business analyst. He then attended Yale Law School, graduating in 2005 with a Juris Doctor.

Legal career

Sanchez served as a law clerk for Judge Richard Paez of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2005 to 2006. He was an associate at Munger, Tolles & Olson from 2006 to 2011, where he litigated civil matters at the trial and appellate levels. From 2011 to 2012, he worked as a deputy attorney general in the correctional law section of the California Attorney General's office. From 2012 to 2018, he worked as Deputy Legal Affairs Secretary under Governor Jerry Brown.

Sanchez helped draft the Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act of 2016. The act allowed certain non-violent defendants to be considered for parole and established sentence credits for rehabilitation, good behavior, and education.

Judicial career

State judicial service

In October 2018, Sanchez was nominated by Governor Brown to serve as an Associate Judge of the California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Robert L. Dondero. His nomination was confirmed by the California Commission on Judicial Appointments on November 26, 2018. His service on the state court terminated when he was elevated to the court of appeals.

Federal judicial service

On September 8, 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Sanchez to serve as a United States circuit judge for the Ninth Circuit. On September 20, 2021, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Sanchez to the seat to be vacated by Judge Marsha Berzon, who announced her intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor. On November 3, 2021, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. During his confirmation hearing, Republican senators questioned him about his role in the creation of Proposition 57 in 2016, which allowed for earlier parole for most inmates in California. On December 2, 2021, his nomination was favorably reported by the committee by a 12–10 vote. On December 15, 2021, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture on his nomination. On December 18, 2021, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 44–24 vote. On January 12, 2022, Sanchez was confirmed by a 52–47 vote. He received his judicial commission on January 24, 2022.

See also

• List of first minority male lawyers and judges in California
• List of Hispanic and Latino American jurists

References

1. "Governor Newsom Announces Judicial Appointments 12.7.23". 7 December 2023.
2. "Governor Brown Appoints 5 Court of Appeal Justices". October 26, 2018.
3. "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
4. Bendery, Jennifer (September 8, 2021). "Joe Biden Nominates More Historic Firsts To Be Lifetime Federal Judges". HuffPost. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
5. "Alumnus appointed to First District Court of Appeals". The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle. November 26, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
6. ^ "President Biden Names Seventh Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
7. "DailyJournal". www.dailyjournal.com.
8. "The Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act of 2016". 22 December 2016.
9. "Biden has bolstered 9th Circuit's liberal flank, but has yet to match Trump's impact". 30 January 2023.
10. Balassone, Merrill (November 26, 2018). "Commission Confirms Five Appointments to Courts of Appeal" (Press release). Retrieved September 8, 2021.
11. ^ Gabriel P. Sanchez at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
12. "Nominations and Withdrawal Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. September 20, 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
13. "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. October 27, 2021.
14. Raymond, Nate. "GOP questions 9th Circuit nominee Sanchez on California parole reform".
15. "Results of Executive Business Meeting – December 2, 2021" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
16. "PN1168 — Gabriel P. Sanchez — The Judiciary". Congress.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
17. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Gabriel P. Sanchez to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit)". United States Senate. December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
18. "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Gabriel P. Sanchez, of California, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit)". United States Senate. January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.

External links

• Gabriel P. Sanchez at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Gabriel Sanchez at Ballotpedia

• 1976 births
• Living people
• 21st-century American judges
• 21st-century American lawyers
• Alumni of the University of Cambridge
• California lawyers
• Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• Hispanic and Latino American judges
• Hispanic and Latino American lawyers
• Judges of the California Courts of Appeal
• People associated with Munger, Tolles & Olson
• People from Fullerton, California
• United States court of appeals judges appointed by Joe Biden
• Yale College alumni
• Yale Law School alumni