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Salvador Mendoza Jr.
Mendoza in 2023
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office September 15, 2022
Appointed by	Joe Biden
Preceded by	M. Margaret McKeown
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
In office June 19, 2014 – September 16, 2022
Appointed by	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Lonny R. Suko
Succeeded by	Rebecca L. Pennell
Judge of the Benton County and Franklin County Superior Courts
In office May 6, 2013 – June 19, 2014
Appointed by	Jay Inslee
Succeeded by	Alexander C. Ekstrom
Personal details
Born	(1971-11-30) November 30, 1971 (age 53) Pacoima, California, U.S.
Spouse	Mia
Children	3
Education	University of Washington (BA) University of California, Los Angeles (JD)

Salvador Mendoza Jr. (born November 30, 1971) is an American lawyer serving as United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He previously served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington from 2014 to 2022 and as a Washington state court judge from 2002 to 2014.

Early life and education

Mendoza was born in 1971 in Pacoima, California, to parents who immigrated to the United States from Mexico. He grew up in the Mid-Columbia region of Washington state and graduated from Prosser High School in 1990.

Mendoza received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in 1994 from the University of Washington. He then attended the UCLA School of Law, graduating in 1997 with a Juris Doctor.

Legal career

While in law school, he spent one summer as a legal intern for the United Farm Workers of America. From 1996 to 1998, he served as a legal intern and later an assistant attorney general in the Washington State Attorney General's Office. From 1998 to 1999, he served as a deputy prosecuting attorney in the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office. From 1999 to 2013, he practiced law, both as a solo practitioner and also with various law partnerships, where he focused on criminal law. Mendoza served as a judge pro tempore in various district, municipal, and juvenile courts in Benton County and Franklin County. Mendoza was a board member of the Benton-Franklin Legal Aid Society. He also helped establish two county-level juvenile drug courts.

Judicial career

State judicial service

Mendoza ran for a vacant seat on the superior court for Benton and Franklin counties in 2008, but lost the election. In May 2013, however, Mendoza was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to fill another vacancy on the court. He served on the Superior Court bench from 2013 to 2014, until his confirmation to the federal bench.

District court service

On January 16, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Mendoza to serve as a United States district judge for the Eastern District of Washington, to the seat vacated by Judge Lonny R. Suko, who assumed senior status on November 1, 2013. Mendoza's name was forwarded to Obama by Senator Patty Murray upon the recommendation of a bipartisan committee of eight that reviewed candidates for the Eastern District of Washington.

Mendoza received a hearing before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on March 12, 2014. On April 3, 2014, his nomination was favorably reported by the committee by a 17–1 vote. On June 12, 2014, Majority Leader Harry Reid filed cloture on his nomination. On June 16, 2014, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 55–37 vote. On June 17, 2014, his nomination was confirmed by a 92–4 vote. Mendoza received his judicial commission two days later. A formal installation ceremony took place in August 2014. Mendoza was the first Latino judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. His service as a district judge was terminated on September 16, 2022, when he was elevated to the court of appeals.

Court of appeals service

On April 13, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Mendoza to serve as a United States circuit judge for the Ninth Circuit. On April 25, 2022, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Mendoza to the seat to be vacated by Judge M. Margaret McKeown, who announced her intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor. On May 11, 2022, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On June 9, 2022, his nomination was favorably reported by the committee by an 11–9–2 vote. On September 6, 2022, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture on his nomination. On September 8, 2022, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 48–43 vote. On September 12, 2022, his nomination was confirmed by a 46–40 vote. He received his judicial commission on September 15, 2022. He is the first Hispanic judge from Washington to serve on the Ninth Circuit.

Notable cases

On November 13, 2023, Mendoza was in a 7–4 majority that temporarily blocked Idaho's abortion ban due to its lack of exceptions for medical emergencies. On January 5, 2024, the Supreme Court said it would take up the case and stayed the 9th Circuit's temporary injunction. The Supreme Court later vacated its stay in Moyle v. United States, returning the case back to the 9th Circuit en banc panel.

Personal life

Mendoza lives in Kennewick, Washington. He is married to Mia Mendoza, an attorney; they have three children.

See also

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

References

1. Judge Salvador Mendoza – Nominee to the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
2. "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
3. ^ Salvador Mendoza Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
4. ^ Kristin M. Kraemer, Sal Mendoza Jr. of Kennewick becomes first Latino federal judge on east side, Tri-City Herald (August 2, 2014).
5. ^ Kristin M. Kraemer, Tri-City judge Sal Mendoza Jr. nominated to federal judgeship, Tri-City Herald (January 16, 2014).
6. "Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr. For U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington in Washington".
7. ^ "President Obama Nominates Four to Serve on the United States District Courts" (Press release). White House Office of the Press Secretary. January 15, 2014.
8. "Salvador Mendoza, Jr. Sworn in as Federal Judge for Eastern District of WA". August 2014.
9. "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate". White House Office of the Press Secretary. January 16, 2014.
10. "Nominations". United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. 12 March 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
11. "Executive Business Meeting" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. April 3, 2014.
12. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Salvador Mendoza, Jr., of Washington, to be U.S. District Judge)". United States Senate. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
13. "On the Nomination (Confirmation Salvador Mendoza, Jr., of Washington, to be U.S. District Judge)". United States Senate. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
14. "President Biden Names Sixteenth Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. April 3, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
15. "Nominations and Withdrawals Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. April 25, 2022. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
16. "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. May 10, 2022.
17. "Results of Executive Business Meeting – June 9, 2022" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
18. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Salvador Mendoza, Jr. to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit)". United States Senate. September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
19. "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Salvador Mendoza Jr., of Washington, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit)". United States Senate. September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
20. "Senate Confirms Salvador Mendoza to 9th Circuit".
21. "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA vs. STATE OF IDAHO" (PDF). SCOTUSBlog. November 13, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
22. "Supreme Court Allows Idaho to Enforce Its Strict Abortion Ban, Even in Medical Emergencies". Time. January 6, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2024.

External links

• Salvador Mendoza Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Sal Mendoza, Jr. at Ballotpedia
• Senate Judiciary Committee Questionnaire This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

• 1971 births
• Living people
• 21st-century American judges
• American judges of Mexican descent
• American lawyers of Mexican descent
• Hispanic and Latino American judges
• Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
• Superior court judges in the United States
• United States court of appeals judges appointed by Joe Biden
• United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama
• UCLA School of Law alumni
• University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences alumni
• Washington (state) lawyers
• Hispanic and Latino American lawyers
• Washington (state) state court judges