Boxer Praises "Historic" Senate Confirmation of Michael W. Fitzgerald for U.S. District Court in Los Angeles

Boxer Recommended Fitzgerald’s Nomination to the White House

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today praised the Senate’s confirmation of Los Angeles attorney Michael W. Fitzgerald to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge for the Central District of California. Senator Boxer recommended Fitzgerald’s nomination to the White House after a thorough interview and vetting process by a bipartisan advisory committee.

With today’s vote, Fitzgerald has made history as the first openly gay federal judge confirmed by the Senate to serve in California. The vote was 91-6.

Senator Boxer said, “The federal bench in California will gain an extremely talented new judge as a result of today’s historic vote to confirm Michael Fitzgerald. His sharp intellect and broad legal experience will make him a tremendous asset to the people of the Central District. While I am pleased by today’s overwhelming vote, it is shameful that he had to wait so long for a vote and I hope that Republicans will stop blocking the confirmation of highly qualified nominees.”

As an assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California, Fitzgerald handled a wide range of criminal cases, including a drug and money laundering case involving what at that time was the second-largest cocaine seizure in California.

A distinguished attorney with a strong record of public service, Mr. Fitzgerald has served as Counsel to the Board of Police Commissioners, also known as the Webster Commission, and as Deputy General Counsel for the Rampart Independent Task Force.

Since 1998, he has been a partner at the Los Angeles law firm of Corbin, Fitzgerald & Athey LLP where he has maintained an active pro bono practice while working on complex commercial litigation, criminal defense, copyright and securities cases. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and earned his law degree from UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law.

The Central District of California comprises the counties of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange and Riverside. It is the most populous federal judicial district, with over 18 million residents spread across 40,000 square miles.

###