Moxila A. Upadhyaya () is a

United States magistrate judge In United States federal courts, magistrate judges are judges appointed to assist U.S. district court judges in the performance of their duties. Magistrate judges generally oversee first appearances of criminal defendants, set bail, and conduct ...

. Before becoming a magistrate judge in September 2022, she was a partner at the law firm

Venable LLP Venable LLP is an American law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is the largest law firm in the state of Maryland. Founded in 1900 by Richard Venable in Baltimore, today Venable has 10 offices across the United States and 800 attorneys w ...

. As a magistrate judge, Upadhyaya has presided over preliminary and limited matters for cases, including the arraignment in the federal prosecution of Donald Trump related to the 2020 election.

Early life and education

Born in Gujarat, India, Moxila A. Upadhyaya was raised near

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

. She studied at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

and was awarded a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

American University Washington College of Law The American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL or WCL) is the law school of American University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It is located on the western side of Tenley Circle in the Tenleytown section of no ...

in 2003.

Career

After graduating, she clerked for Eric Washington before working as a litigation lawyer and later becoming a partner at

. In 2009, an organization Upadhyaya worked with as co-counsel ''pro bono'' in 2008, the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, awarded Upadhyaya their ''Defender of Innocence'' Award. Upadhyaya was a clerk for Robert Wilkins in the

United States District Court for the District of Columbia The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a federal district court in the District of Columbia. It also occasionally handles (jointly with the United States District Court for the District of ...

in 2011. She was appointed as a magistrate judge on September 7, 2022, and works at the

E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse The E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse is a historic building in Washington, D.C. It was built in 1949–50 and currently houses the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the United States Court of Appeals for the Distri ...

in Washington D.C. Since her appointment, she has served as a magistrate judge for several proceedings involving people charged with alleged offences committed during the

January 6 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, following the defeat of then-U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The mob was seeking to keep Trump in pow ...

. The prosecution of

Donald J. Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

on charges related to alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election was assigned to Judge

Tanya S. Chutkan Tanya Sue Chutkan (born July 5, 1962) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Biography Chutkan was born on July 5, 1962, in Kingston, Jamaica. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree ...

before the arraignment, on August 1, 2023. At the arraignment, Upadhyaya received the plea from Trump in response to the charges, set a schedule for pre-trial motions and discovery and set the terms of bail which did not include any cash bond or travel restrictions. At the hearing, Upadhyaya warned Trump against influencing witnesses through direct discussion or intimidation. Upadhyaya has served on the Board of Directors for the D.C. Access to Justice Foundation and Council for Court Excellence. She was also a member of the Administrative Law Review.

References

External links

Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Upadhyaya, Moxila A. Living people People from Gujarat University of Missouri alumni American University alumni Indian emigrants to the United States 21st-century American judges Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia Law clerks Lawyers from Washington, D.C. United States magistrate judges Year of birth missing (living people)