Valerie Lynn Baker Fairbank (born June 25, 1949) is a senior United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the Central District of California The United States District Court for the Central District of California (in case citations, C.D. Cal.; commonly referred to as the CDCA or CACD) is a Federal trial court that serves over 19 million people in Southern and Central California, ...

Early life and education

Born in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, Fairbank received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree from the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...

in 1971, a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

from that institution in 1972, and a Juris Doctor from the

University of California, Los Angeles School of Law The UCLA School of Law is one of 12 professional schools at the University of California, Los Angeles. UCLA Law has been consistently ranked by '' U.S. News & World Report'' as one of the top 20 law schools in the United States since the inception ...

, in 1975.

Career

After being admitted to the State Bar of California in 1975, Fairbank entered private practice as an associate at the firm Overton, Lyman & Prince until 1977. From 1977 to 1980, she was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. She re-entered private practice as an associate for two years and a partner for four years at the firm Lillick, McHose & Charles from 1980 to 1986.

Judicial service

From 1986 to 1987, Fairbank served as a judge for the Los Angeles Municipal Court, and from 1987 until her appointment to the federal bench in 2007, she served as a judge for the

Superior Court of California Superior courts in California are the state trial courts with general jurisdiction to hear and decide any civil or criminal action which is not specially designated to be heard in some other court or before a governmental agency. As mandated by t ...

County of Los Angeles Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is th ...

. On January 9, 2007, Fairbank was nominated by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

to a seat on the

vacated by

Consuelo Bland Marshall Consuelo Bland Marshall (born September 28, 1936) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Education and career Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Marshall received an Assoc ...

. Fairbank was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on February 1, 2007, and received her commission on February 16, 2007. She took senior status on March 1, 2012, due to a certified disability.

References

External links

*
U.S. Dept. of Justice profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairbank, Valerie Lynn Baker Living people 1949 births Assistant United States Attorneys California state court judges Judges of the United States District Court for the Central District of California Lawyers from Minneapolis Superior court judges in the United States United States district court judges appointed by George W. Bush 21st-century American judges UCLA School of Law alumni University of California, Santa Barbara alumni 21st-century American women judges