First Latina confirmed to Eastern District bench

Judge Ana de Alba “decided that one day, she would become a lawyer to help families like her own. … (She) is dedicated, fair and universally respected by her colleagues.”

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif.

The Senate has confirmed President Biden’s nomination of Ana de Alba, a Fresno County judge and the daughter of immigrant farmworkers, to the federal court for the Eastern District of California, where she will become the first Latina judge.

The vote Tuesday was 53-45, with Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining all 50 Democrats in supporting de Alba.

De Alba, 43, was born in Merced to a family of Mexican immigrants. She graduated with honors from UC Berkeley in 2002, and graduated from its law school in 2007. She practiced business and employment law until 2018, when Gov. Jerry Brown appointed her to the Fresno County Superior Court.

She was also active in legal programs for the disadvantaged, founded a workers’ rights clinic, and served as a board member of the Central Valley Access to Justice Coalition, Legal Aid at Work and Rape Counseling Services of Fresno, among other groups.

“Judge de Alba watched her mother and grandmother struggle with unfair treatment, as they worked together in some of the hardest jobs in the world,” Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said in a Senate floor statement supporting her nomination. “She decided that one day, she would become a lawyer to help families like her own . ... Judge de Alba is dedicated, fair and universally respected by her colleagues.”

There were no statements opposing her nomination, and Senate Republicans at an earlier Judiciary Committee hearing likewise did not state their reasons for voting against de Alba, said Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor who tracks judicial nominations. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., did not respond to a request to his office for comment.

The Eastern District has six authorized judgeships, with one vacancy, and courthouses in Fresno and Sacramento. De Alba, who will be based in Fresno, will be the third woman among the five current judges. She succeeds U.S. District Judge Morrison England, an appointee of President George W. Bush who has transferred to senior status, with a reduced caseload.