John Mendez

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John Mendez
Image of John Mendez

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Eastern District of California (senior status)
Tenure

2022 - Present

Years in position

2

Prior offices
United States District Court for the Eastern District of California
Predecessor: David Levi

Education

Bachelor's

Stanford University, 1977

Law

Harvard Law School, 1980

Personal
Birthplace
Oakland, Calif.

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John Mendez is a federal judge on senior status with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California. He joined the court in 2008 after being nominated by President George W. Bush (R). He assumed senior status on April 17, 2022.[1]

Biography

Early life and education

Born in Oakland, California, Mendez graduated from Stanford University with his bachelor's degree in 1977 and later graduated from Harvard Law School with his J.D. in 1980.[1]

Professional career

Mendez was a private practice attorney licensed in the State of California from 1980 to 1984, 1986 to 1992, and again from 1993 to 2001. Mendez worked at the U.S. Attorney's Office as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California from 1984 to 1986. In 1992, on the recommendation of U.S. Senator Pete Wilson, Mendez was nominated by President George H.W. Bush (R) as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California from 1992 to 1993. Mendez became a superior court judge in the Sacramento County California Superior Court from 2001 to 2008.[2]

Judicial career

Eastern District of California

Mendez was nominated to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California by President George W. Bush (R) on September 6, 2007, to a seat vacated by David Levi. Mendez was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 10, 2008, on a majority vote and received commission on April 17, 2008.[3] He assumed senior status on April 17, 2022.[4]

Noteworthy cases

Judge dismisses lawsuit regarding California sanctuary state law(2018)
See also: United States District Court for the Eastern District of California (USA v. California, Case 2:18-cv-490-JAM-KJN)

On July 9, 2018, Judge John Mendez of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California approved California's motion to dismiss a lawsuit the Trump administration filed in March 2018. The U.S. Department of Justice had requested the court to block SB 54, California's sanctuary state law. In his opinion, Mendez wrote, "The Court does not find any indication in the cited federal statutes that Congress intended for States to have no oversight over detention facilities operating within their borders."[5]

On July 5, 2018, Mendez ruled against the U.S. Department of Justice's request to block SB 54, saying the state could decide whether it would assist in enforcing the federal government's immigration policies. He also said the immigration issue should be settled through legislation, not through the court system.[6][7]

California became a sanctuary state on January 1, 2018, when SB 54, which prohibits local law enforcement officials from using resources for immigration enforcement purposes, went into effect.[8]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Federal Judicial Center, "Mendez, John A.," accessed April 18, 2022
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named FJC Bio
  3. ↑ [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ntquery/D?nomis:1:./temp/ nomis2KGOkU:: The Library of Congress, John Mendez USDC, EDCA confirmation:PN876-110]
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named jc
  5. ↑ UPI.com, "Judge tosses most of DOJ challenge to California 'sanctuary' laws," July 9, 2018
  6. ↑ Reuters, "Judge largely rules for California in 'sanctuary state' fight," July 5, 2018
  7. ↑ Route Fifty, "California’s ‘Sanctuary State’ Laws Withstand Federal Suit," July 5, 2018
  8. ↑ Mountain Democrat, "Gov. Brown signs bill turning California into sanctuary state," October 9, 2017

Political offices
Preceded by
David Levi 		United States District Court for the Eastern District of California
2008-2022		 Succeeded by
Daniel Calabretta


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