President Joseph Biden nominated Jennifer L. Thurston of Bakersfield for a judgeship in California’s Eastern District on Wednesday.

Thurston is currently the Eastern District’s chief U.S. magistrate judge, a position she has held since last October. She became a federal magistrate judge in 2009.

Magistrate judges assist the district’s judges, including handling the first appearances of criminal defendants and setting bail.

The Eastern District is one of California’s four federal judicial districts. The geographically sprawling Eastern District is one of the busiest in the nation and has been short on judges for many years.

More on Thurston’s Background

Thurston served as a deputy counsel for Kern County’s Office of County Counsel from 1997 to 2009, where she handled civil matters, including litigation and appeals.

Thurston received her LL.M from Duke University in 2018, her J.D. from California Pacific School of Law in 1997, and her B.S. from California State University, Bakersfield, in 1989.

She now awaits a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

President Nominates Eight for Federal Judgeships

Biden announced eight candidates for the federal bench on Wednesday.

Click here to read about the others.