Judge Jay C. Gandhi is a United States Magistrate Judge for the Central District of California, and made history as the first South Asian American federal judge in California, and the second Indian-American federal bench officer nationwide.
As the son of Indian immigrants, Judge Gandhi was born in
Huntington Park, California, and grew up in
Hacienda Heights, California
Hacienda Heights () is an unincorporated suburban community in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the community had a total population of 54,038, up from 53,122 at the 2000 census. For statistical purposes, the ...
.
Education and early career
Judge Gandhi graduated
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of advocates, the serjeants-at-law, whose courtroom attire included a coif—a white lawn or silk skullcap, whi ...
from the
University of Southern California Law School
The USC Gould School of Law, located in Los Angeles, California, is the law school of the University of Southern California. The oldest law school in the Southwestern United States, USC Law traces its beginnings to 1896 and became affiliated with ...
where he wrote for the school's honor journal and worked for
Erwin Chemerinsky
Erwin Chemerinsky (born May 14, 1953) is an American legal scholar known for his studies of United States constitutional law and federal civil procedure. Since 2017, Chemerinsky has been the dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law. Previously, he a ...
.
[http://www.cacd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Daily-Journal-March-14-2013.pdf ]
After law school, he served as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt of the Southern District of Texas.
After completing his clerkship, Judge Jay Gandhi moved back to Southern California where he joined the firm of
Paul Hastings LLP. He was at Paul Hastings from 1998 to 2010, and specialized in business litigation and class actions, and his practice included securities, corporate governance, consumer rights, intellectual property, and real estate.
He was elected partner in 2006 and served as vice chair of the Orange County office.
[http://www.paulhastings.com/emailgraphics/PHC_AlumniSpotlight_082610.html ]
While he was at the firm, Judge Gandhi worked with Santa Ana's Public Law Center to provide free legal help to those who could not afford to hire a lawyer.
Judge Gandhi also participated in the Trial Attorney Partnership with the Orange County District Attorney's office.
Publications
"The Advantages of Moving First in a Mediation."
Judicial career
Judge Gandhi is committed to alternative dispute resolution. He is currently a vice-chair of the U.S. District Court's alternative dispute resolution committee, and a former co-chair of the alternative dispute resolution committee of the American Bar Association's litigation section. He is known to work directly with parties to reach resolutions in difficult cases.
Judge Gandhi is a board member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers of Los Angeles and the South Asian Helpline And Referral Agency (SAHARA).
Jury Confirms Gandhi in Free Speech Case
On October 17, 2015, Judge Gandhi granted bail for defendant Peter Ronald Wexler, a blogger. During the bail hearing, Judge Gandhi raised the First Amendment concerns in the case and inquired whether the prosecutors had any evidence that Mr. Wexler intended to act on the alleged threats. On October 19, 2015, the government appealed Judge Gandhi's decision to grant bail. Judge Gandhi's bail decision was reversed on November 6, 2015. On September 1, 2016, the jury acquitted Mr. Wexler of four counts. The jury was also unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the remaining counts and a mistrial was declared. The case was detailed in a CNN report.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gandhi, Jay C.
United States magistrate judges
American politicians of Indian descent
People from Huntington Park, California
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
People from Hacienda Heights, California
Paul Hastings partners