Phyllis Hamilton J.D. ’76 has been appointed chief judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Hamilton is the first African-American woman in the court’s history to fill this position.
“Having enjoyed my work in court governance in many capacities over the years, I look forward to working with my colleagues and the bar and staff of this court to continue the court’s traditions of innovation and excellent service,” Judge Hamilton said.
Judge Hamilton received her BA from Stanford in 1974 and her JD from Santa Clara Law in 1976. Her judicial career has included appointments as an administrative judge for a federal agency, a magistrate judge of this court, and a district judge of this court from 2000 to the present. Since 2010, she has served in the Oakland Division.