Cynthia Valenzuela

Central District of California
	Ninth Circuit
Judgeships
	Posts: 28
	Judges: 28
	Vacancies: 0
Judges
	Chief: Dolly Gee
	Active judges: Fernando Aenlle-Rocha, Mónica Ramírez Almadani, Percy Anderson, Jesus Bernal, André Birotte Jr., Stanley Blumenfeld, David Carter, Michelle Williams Court, Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, Michael Fitzgerald, Sherilyn P. Garnett, Dolly Gee, John William Holcomb, Wesley L. Hsu, Anne Hwang, Kenly Kiya Kato, Robert Klausner, Serena R. Murillo, Fernando Olguin, Mark C. Scarsi, Fred W. Slaughter, Josephine Staton, Sunshine S. Sykes, Cynthia Valenzuela, Hernán D. Vera, John Walter, Stephen Wilson, Otis Wright; Senior judges:; Valerie Baker Fairbank, Dale Fischer, Terry Hatter, Aaron Kampfe, William Duffy Keller, John A. Kronstadt, Ronald Lew, Consuelo Marshall, Virginia Phillips, Dean Pregerson, James Selna, Christina Snyder, George Wu

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon
	Court: United States District Court for the Central District of California
Progress
	Confirmed 224 days after nomination.
	Nominated: April 30, 2024
	ABA Rating: Qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: May 22, 2024
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: July 11, 2024
	Confirmed: December 10, 2024
	Vote: 49-47

Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon is a judge on the United States District Court for the Central District of California. She was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on April 30, 2024, and confirmed by the United States Senate on December 10, 2024, by a vote of 49-47.^[1]^[2] Valenzuela was one of 235 Article III judges nominated by President Joe Biden (D) and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.

The United States District Court for the Central District of California is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Prior to joining the court, Dixon was a judge on the California State Bar Court in Los Angeles.^[3]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Central District of California (2024-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On April 24, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Valenzuela to the United States District Court for the Central District of California.^[3] She was confirmed by a 49-47 vote of the U.S. Senate on December 10, 2024.^[2] Valenzuela received commission on December 16, 2024.^[1] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Valenzuela by a vote of 49-47 on December 10, 2024.^[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Valenzuela confirmation vote (December 10, 2024)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	47	0	0
Republican	0	47	2
Independent	2	0	2
Total	49^[4]	47	4

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Valenzuela's nomination on May 22, 2024. Valenzuela was reported to the full Senate on July 11, 2024, after an 11-10 committee vote.^[5] Click here for a list of other nominees awaiting a committee vote.

Nomination

On April 24, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon to the United States District Court for the Central District of California. The president officially nominated her on April 30, 2024.^[2] Click here for a list of other nominees who have been nominated by President Joe Biden.

The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Valenzuela qualified.^[6] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Valenzuela was nominated to replace Judge Philip Gutierrez, who retired on October 22, 2024.^[7]

Biography

Education

Valenzuela was born in 1969 in Tucson, Arizona. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona in 1991, and a law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law in 1995.^[1]

Professional career

2024-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Central District of California
2016-2024: Judge, State Bar Court of California
- 2020-2022: supervising judge
2011-2016: Criminal Justice Act supervising attorney, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
2006-2011: Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Los Angeles, California
- 2006-2011: national vice president and director of litigation
- 2006: western regional counsel
2000-2006: Assistant U.S. attorney, Central District of California
1998-2000: Trial attorney, Voting Section, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice
1995-1998: Special assistant, Vice Chair Cruz Reynoso, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights^[1]

About the court

The United States District Court for the Central District of California is one of 94 United States district courts. The court serves about seventeen million people in southern and central California, making it the largest federal judicial district by population. The district operates out of courthouses in Santa Ana, Riverside and two locations in Los Angeles. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based in downtown San Francisco at the James R. Browning Federal Courthouse. Initial appeals are heard in Pasadena at the Richard Chambers Courthouse. The Central District of California has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

There are three court divisions, each covering the following counties:

The Eastern Division, covering Riverside and San Bernardino counties.^[8]

The Southern Division, covering Orange County.^[8]

The Western Division, covering Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties.^[8]

To read opinions published by this court, click [Ihttps://www.cacd.uscourts.gov/newsworthy/opinions-and-orders here].

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.