Today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate:
Patrick J. Bumatay of California, to serve as Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Patrick Bumatay is an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, where he is a member of the Appellate and Narcotics Sections. He previously served as Counselor to the Attorney General on various criminal issues, including the national opioid strategy and transnational organized crime. Mr. Bumatay has also served in other positions in the Department of Justice, including the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the Office of the Associate Attorney General, where he was responsible for overseeing various aspects of the Department’s civil enforcement programs, and the Office of Legal Policy. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Bumatay served as a law clerk to Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He also clerked for Judge Sandra L. Townes of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Mr. Bumatay earned his B.A., cum laude, from Yale University and his J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a member of the National Filipino American Lawyers Association, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Tom Homann LGBT Law Association, and the Federal Bar Association.
Lawrence VanDyke of Nevada, to serve as Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Lawrence VanDyke currently serves as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division at the Department of Justice. From 2015 to 2019, Mr. VanDyke served as the Nevada Solicitor General, where he served as the State’s top appellate attorney and litigated numerous cases on behalf of the State of Nevada in the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Nevada Supreme Court, and State and Federal district courts. Before his service in Nevada, Mr. VanDyke served as the Solicitor General of Montana, where he litigated many of that State’s most consequential cases. Mr. VanDyke also worked in private practice with Gibson Dunn and Crutcher LLP. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. VanDyke served as a law clerk to Judge Janice Rogers Brown of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Mr. VanDyke earned his B.S., with highest honors, from Montana State University and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he served as an Editor of the Harvard Law Review.
John W. Holcomb of California, to serve as Judge on the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
John Holcomb is a Partner with Greenberg Gross LLP in Costa Mesa, California, where his practice focuses on intellectual property and bankruptcy litigation. Before joining his present firm, Mr. Holcomb operated his own private practice and prior to that was a Partner at Knobbe Martens in Riverside and Irvine, California until 2018, where his practice focused on intellectual property law and litigation. Mr. Holcomb also served in the United States Navy from 1980 to 1989, and he was on active duty as a Commissioned Officer from 1984 to 1989. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Holcomb served as a law clerk to Judge Ronald Barliant of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Mr. Holcomb earned his S.B. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School.
Knut S. Johnson of California, to serve as Judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.
Knut Johnson operates the Law Office of Knut S. Johnson, where he maintains a varied and broad-based criminal defense practice. Mr. Johnson is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Diego School of Law, where he has taught Criminal Procedure since 2016, and he served as an Adjunct Professor at California Western School of Law from 1995 to 1999. Mr. Johnson earned his B.S., with honors, from Tulane University and his J.D., cum laude, from the University of San Diego School of Law.
Steve Kim of California, to serve as Judge on the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
Steve Kim currently serves as a United States Magistrate Judge on the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Before taking the bench in 2016, Judge Kim was the Managing Director for Stroz Friedberg, LLC, where he advised clients in cybersecurity compliance, data privacy, and law and technology issues. Before joining Stroz Friedberg, Judge Kim served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Upon graduation from law school, Judge Kim served as a law clerk to Judge Sidney R. Thomas of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Judge Stephen V. Wilson of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Judge Kim earned his B.A., with special distinction, from the University of Oklahoma and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as Notes & Comments Editor of the Georgetown Law Journal.
Michelle M. Pettit of California, to serve as Judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.
Michelle Pettit is an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, where she is a member of the National Security and Cybercrimes Section. Before joining the United States Attorney’s Office in 2007, Ms. Pettit served as Senior Trial Counsel for the United States Navy on Active Duty stationed in San Diego. Since 2015, Ms. Pettit has also served as a Judge in the United States Navy Reserves. Ms. Pettit earned her B.S., with distinction, from the United States Naval Academy, and her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School, where she was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as Managing Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review.
Thomas Michael O’Connor of Texas, to serve as United States Marshal for the Southern District of Texas.
T. Michael O’Connor is the Sheriff of Victoria County, Texas and has served in that role for over 14 years. Previously, Sheriff O’Connor served in various positions in the Sheriff’s Offices for Refugio, Goliad, and Victoria Counties, including as a member of the Victoria County Sherriff’s Office Special Weapons and Tactical Team (SWAT). Sheriff O’Connor also taught Law Enforcement Professionalism and Ethics at Victoria College Law Enforcement Academy from 2002 to 2004 and earned his B.S. from Texas A&M University.