Edward M. Chen

Edward Milton Chen (born January 20, 1953) is a Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California and former United States magistrate judge of the same court.

Early life and education

Born and raised in Oakland, California, Chen earned an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1975 from the University of California, Berkeley and a Juris Doctor from Boalt Hall School of Law in 1979.President Obama Nominates Edward Milton Chen, Dolly Gee and Richard Seeborg to Serve on the District Court Bench
''whitehouse.gov'' (August 7, 2009).

Legal career

After graduating law school, Chen served judicial clerkships for United States District Judge Charles Byron Renfrew from June 1979 until April 1980 and United States Circuit Judge James R. Browning from June 1981 until June 1982.

From 1982 until 1985, Chen served as an associate at the San Francisco law firm of Coblentz, Cahen, McCabe & Breyer. In September 1985, Chen became a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, specializing in language discrimination cases. He held that post until April 2001, when the judges on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California named Chen to an eight-year term as a
United States magistrate judge.

Federal judicial service

United States magistrate judge service

Chen served as a United States Magistrate Judge from 2001 until 2011.

United States district judge service

On August 7, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Chen to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California vacated by the resignation of Martin Jenkins. On October 15, 2009, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12–7 in a party-line vote to send Chen's nomination to the full Senate. On December 24, 2009, the U.S. Senate returned Chen's nomination to the president. Senator Feinstein in an interview published in the '' San Francisco Chronicle'' on December 29, 2009 reiterated her support for Judge Chen and her hope that the President would renominate Judge Chen for the U.S. District Court. President Obama renominated Chen in January 2010, and the Senate Judiciary Committee approved his nomination on February 4, 2010. On August 5, 2010, the U.S. Senate again returned Chen's nomination for failure to confirm him. President Obama renominated Chen to the seat on September 13, 2010 and again on January 5, 2011. On May 10, 2011, the United States Senate confirmed Chen by a 56–42 vote. He received his judicial commission on May 12, 2011. Since being confirmed as a District Judge, Chen has been a prolific writer, authoring a number of major opinions. According to one legal news source, Judge Chen is the 4th most-influential district judge appointed since 2010. The same source later named Judge Chen one of the "7 Rising Star Judges You Want to Clerk For." Chen assumed senior status on May 17, 2022.

Notable cases

Chen's notable cases have included the civil trial regarding the shooting of Oscar Grant by a Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department officer, the criminal prosecution of former Korn Ferry executive David Nosal for hacking, and a number of cases being brought against Uber regarding the classification of its drivers as independent contractors. On June 21, 2012, the case of '' Carreon v. Inman et al'', which has achieved some prominence on the Internet, was assigned to Chen.

Elon Musk case

See also

* Barack Obama judicial appointment controversies
* List of Asian American jurists
* List of first minority male lawyers and judges in California

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Edward M.
1953 births
Living people
21st-century American judges
American jurists of Chinese descent
Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California
Lawyers from Oakland, California
People from Marin County, California
United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama
UC Berkeley School of Law alumni
United States magistrate judges