News & Events

Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the appointment of Patricia A. Young, a supervising attorney with the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Central District of California, as Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. Patricia A. Young, 42, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Young has been a Supervising Deputy Federal Public Defender at the Office of the Federal Public Defender, Central District of California since 2014, where she has served as a Deputy […]..

Published on October 7, 2021, by the United States Courts Judiciary News. Cuauhtemoc Ortega grew up in the working-class neighborhood of La Puente in Los Angeles County, where people he knew sometimes struggled through negative encounters with law enforcement and immigration officials. Now, he leads the Federal Public Defender’s Office representing La Puente and the greater Los Angeles area. “In our clients, I see myself, my family, my friends, and my neighbors,” Ortega said. “Being able to show our clients compassion is critical in gaining […]..

Congratulations Cuauhtemoc Ortega, the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California, for being named to the Daily Journal’s Top 100 2021 list!..

Our Los Angeles Trial Chief, David Sutton, will start as the new Marin County Public Defender on October 4, 2021. The Marin County Public Defender news release is below. Marin County Hires New Public Defender San Rafael, CA – David Joseph Sutton began his legal career with the Marin County Public Defender’s Office, and now he is the choice to lead that department. County Administrator Matthew Hymel said a nationwide recruitment process concluded with the recommendation of Sutton, who has served as Trial Chief for the Office […]..

We are excited to announce that former FPD-CDCA Supervising Attorney Yasmin Cader has been selected to lead the ACLU’s Trone Center for Justice and Equality. The official announcement is below, courtesy of the ACLU. The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that Yasmin Cader will lead the Trone Center for Justice and Equality, effective September 15. For nearly three decades, Cader’s career as a public defender and civil rights attorney has kept her on the front lines of the national struggle for racial and criminal […]..

We are excited to announce that the Chief of our Capital Habeas Unit, Margo Rocconi, has been appointed as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Central District of California. Below is the official District Court press release. The United States District Court for the Central District of California announces the appointment of Margo A. Rocconi as a United States Magistrate Judge. Judge Rocconi, who was sworn in on March 19, 2021, will sit in Los Angeles, the Court’s Western Division. Judge Rocconi succeeds former […]..

Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the appointment of Alicia Blanco, former supervising attorney with the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Central District of California, and Ronald Kaye, former Deputy Federal Public Defender with FPD-CDCA, as Los Angeles County Superior Court judges. Alicia Y. Blanco, 54, of Burbank, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Blanco has served as a Commissioner at the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2015. She was a Sole Practitioner from 2014 […]..

Los Angeles Trial Chief David Sutton was recently featured in University of San Francisco Law School’s fall 2020 alumni magazine. By: Annie Breen To a middle schooler growing up with a single mom in San Francisco’ s Western Addition in the ‘90s, success often meant staying out of trouble — and not much more. But even that sometimes seemed like a tall order to David Sutton ‘08. “Back then, the neighborhood     wasn’t known as ‘NOPA,’ there weren’t any nice restaurants, and no one had heard […]..

Source: United States Courts for the Ninth Circuit Public Information Office Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit have appointed Cuauhtémoc Ortega as the next federal public defender for the Central District of California. He began his four-year term today, October 15, 2020, following his oath of office. He succeeded Amy Karlin, who served as interim federal public defender after former FPD Hilary Potashner entered private practice in October 2019. “Cuauhtémoc Ortega is an outstanding addition to the federal defender […]..

We know that this is a scary time to have a family member or friend in Bureau of Prisons custody. There’s a lot we don’t know about what’s going on inside the BOP right now, but here’s what we do know. Information for Federal Public Defender Clients with Pending Cases The Federal Public Defender’s Office remains open and operational during the pandemic.  We are doing our part to stem the spread of COVID-19 by working remotely.  If you have questions about your case, your loved […]..