News & Events

Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the appointment of Michael Weinstein, Supervising Deputy Federal Public Defender and the Chief of the Noncapital Habeas Unit with the Federal Public Defender, Central District of California, as Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. Michael D. Weinstein, of Los Angeles County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Weinstein has served as Chief of the Noncapital Habeas Unit at the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California […]..

Former Deputy Federal Public Defender, and current Magistrate Judge Kiya Kato, will serve as a federal district judge for the Central District of California effective November 7, 2023. From the United States District Court website: On November 7, 2023, the United States Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s nomination of Magistrate Judge Kenly Kiya Kato to serve as a federal district judge for the United States District Court for the Central District of California.  Judge Kato will preside over matters in Riverside in the Court’s Eastern […]..

Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the appointment of Gary Rowe, a Deputy Federal Public Defender with the Federal Public Defender, Central District of California, as Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. Gary Rowe, of Los Angeles County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Rowe has served as a Deputy Attorney General at the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General, Civil Rights Enforcement Section since June 2023. He served as a Deputy Federal Public […]..

Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the appointment of David Wasserman, a Supervising Deputy Federal Public Defender with the Federal Public Defender, Central District of California, as Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. David Wasserman, of Los Angeles County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Wasserman has served as a Supervising Deputy Federal Public Defender at the Office of the Federal Public Defender, Central District of California since 2018, where he was a Deputy Federal Public Defender […]..

Former FPD-CDCA Deputy Federal Public Defender and Chief of the Appeals Unit was appointed as United States Magistrate Judge for the Central District of California. From the United States District Court: The United States District Court for the Central District of California announces the appointment of Brianna Fuller Mircheff as a United States Magistrate Judge. Judge Mircheff, who was sworn in on April 18, 2023, will preside over matters in Los Angeles in the Court’s Western Division. Judge Mircheff succeeds former Magistrate Judge Paul L. […]..

Deputy Federal Public Defender Dinah Manning has accepted an appointment as the Director of Public Safety: Accountability & Oversight with the City of Los Angeles Controller’s Office. From the L.A. City Controller’s office: Dinah Manning is a proud first-generation Salvadoran-American and African-American who hails from South Central Los Angeles. She is passionate about fighting for a safe, just, and dignified life for all Angelenos. As a career public defender, she has devoted her efforts to fighting against the devastation the criminal legal system inflicts on […]..

Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the appointment of Gia Kim, a Deputy Federal Public Defender with the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Central District of California, as Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. Gia Kim, 48, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. She has served as a Deputy Federal Public Defender at the Federal Public Defender’s Office, Central District of California since 2008, where she worked as a Research and Writing Attorney […]..

Federal Public and Community Defenders applaud the historic nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve as the next Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Judge Jackson is an exceptionally well-qualified nominee whose appointment will advance our country towards a fairer and more equitable system. Of the 115 justices who have served on the Supreme Court, she will not only be the first Black woman, but also the first to bring experience as a public defender. Federal Public and Community Defenders represent the […]..

Today the senior judges of Los Angeles County Superior Court elected Angel Navarro as a Court Commissioner. Commissioner Navarro served as an attorney with our office from 1992 to 2010, including as a Supervising Deputy Federal Public Defender...

President Biden today announced the next round of Judicial Nominees for the United States District Court, including former FPD-CDCA staff attorney – and now Magistrate Judge – Kiya Kato. Judge Kato served as an attorney with our office from 1997 to 2003. Judge Kenly Kiya Kato has served as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Central District of California since 2014. From 2004 to 2014, Judge Kato was a solo practitioner, representing clients in civil and criminal cases. From 2003 to 2004, Judge Kato […]..