Deputy Federal Public Defender Michael Kaufman

Former FPD-CDCA Deputy Federal Public Defender Michael Kaufman 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 Michael B. Kaufman as a United States Magistrate Judge. Judge Kaufman, who was sworn in on February 20, 2025, will preside over matters in Los Angeles in the Court’s Western Division. Judge Kaufman succeeds former Magistrate Judge Michael R. Wilner.

Before his appointment as a magistrate judge, since June 2024, Judge Kaufman served as a Deputy Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California where he represented indigent criminal defendants on appeal and assisted with complex motion practice and trials. From 2010 to 2024, Judge Kaufman served as a Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Southern California. In 2018, Judge Kaufman was named the Sullivan & Cromwell Access to Justice Staff Attorney. At the ACLU of Southern California, Judge Kaufman’s practice primarily consisted of complex civil rights litigation, including class actions, with an emphasis on issues related to the immigration and criminal legal systems. His specializations included constitutional law, administrative law, and open government laws.

From 2008 to 2010, Judge Kaufman served as a Skadden Fellow at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area. In that role, he focused on wage-and-hour employment litigation and human trafficking cases. Over the course of his career, Judge Kaufman has dedicated significant time to mentoring those just beginning their legal careers.

Judge Kaufman received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University in 2003 and his Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School in 2007. Following law school, Judge Kaufman clerked for the Honorable Sidney R. Thomas of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Including the position now occupied by Judge Kaufman, the Central District of California has 24 full-time magistrate judge positions. The Central District of California is comprised of the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo. It serves more than 19.3 million people, nearly half the population of the State of California.

Judge Kaufman joins an impressive list of former FPD-CDCA alumni who have become judges. See Former FPD-CDCA Attorneys Appointed to State and Federal Benches.