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Rebecca Kanter
Rebecca Kanter is a judge of the Superior Court of San Diego County in California. She assumed office on January 2, 2023. Her current term ends on January 8, 2029.
Kanter ran for election for judge of the Superior Court of San Diego County in California. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Kanter completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
On January 10, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Kanter to the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.[1] On February 1, 2024, President Biden nominated Kanter to the court. Kanter's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2025.[2][3] Click here for more information on Kanter's federal judicial nomination.
The United States District Court for the Southern 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.
Biography
Rebecca Kanter was born in Los Angeles, California. Kanter's professional experience includes working as a prosecutor. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Irvine in 2000 and a J.D. from UCLA School of Law in 2003.[4]
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden
On January 10, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Kanter to the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.[1] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
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| Nominee Information |
| Name: Rebecca Kanter |
| Court: United States District Court for the Southern District of California |
| Progress |
| Returned 337 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: February 1, 2024
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 ABA Rating:
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| Questionnaire: |
| Hearing:
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| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported:
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| Confirmed:
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| Returned: January 3, 2025
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Nomination
On January 10, 2024 President Joe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Kanter to the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. The president officially nominated Kanter on February 1, 2024. The nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2025.[5][3] Click here for a list of other nominees who have been nominated by President Joe Biden.
About the court
| Southern District of California |
|---|
| Ninth Circuit |
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| Judgeships |
| Posts: 13 |
| Judges: 12 |
| Vacancies: 1 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Dana Sabraw |
| Active judges: Cynthia A. Bashant, Cathy Bencivengo, Benjamin Cheeks, Robert Huie, Linda Lopez, Ruth Bermudez Montenegro, Jinsook Ohta, Todd Robinson, Dana Sabraw, Janis Sammartino, Andrew G. Schopler, James Simmons Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Southern District of California is one of 94 United States district courts. The district operates out of three courthouses in San Diego and one in El Centro. 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.
The Southern 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.
The geographic jurisdiction of the Southern District of California consists of the Imperial and San Diego counties in the southern part of the state of California.
To read opinions published by this court, click 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.
Elections
2022
See also: Municipal elections in San Diego County, California (2022)
General election
General election for Superior Court of San Diego County
Rebecca Kanter defeated Mike Murphy in the general election for Superior Court of San Diego County on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Rebecca Kanter (Nonpartisan)  | 54.2 | 459,024 |
| Mike Murphy (Nonpartisan) | 45.8 | 387,965 | ||
| Total votes: 846,989 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Superior Court of San Diego County
Mike Murphy and Rebecca Kanter defeated Michael J. Flemming in the primary for Superior Court of San Diego County on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Mike Murphy (Nonpartisan) | 40.3 | 236,300 | |
| ✔ | | Rebecca Kanter (Nonpartisan) | 37.7 | 221,267 |
| Michael J. Flemming (Nonpartisan) | 22.0 | 128,769 | ||
| Total votes: 586,336 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Kanter's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Rebecca Kanter completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Kanter's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Rebecca is rated “Well-Qualified” by the San Diego County Bar Association and endorsed by the San Diego UT.
Rebecca is a mother and President of the San Diego Federal Daycare Board, a nonprofit ensuring quality, affordable childcare for military and federal families. Rebecca was a Vice President of Lawyers Club of San Diego, which advances the status of women in law and society. She led the Lawyers Club Fund for Justice supporting vulnerable women and girls and chaired the Reproductive Rights & Women’s Advocacy Committee. She has volunteered with nonprofit organizations such as San Diego Coastkeeper and WiLDCOAST protecting coastal ecosystems, including two years as the President of WiLDCOAST's Board of Directors.
Rebecca is endorsed by California Senator Toni Atkins, Supervisor Chair Nathan Fletcher, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, Chula Vista Mayor Mary Salas, Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear, five San Diego Councilmembers, and more than 35 judges.
- To fairly and impartially administer justice and promote the rule of law
- To uphold the Constitution and maintain the judiciary’s role as a defender of democratic values
- To increase access to justice
These stories made me appreciate the real-world impact that the lawyers and judges have on shaping the lives of everyday people. They demonstrated the impactful role of judges in giving meaning to the hallmarks of our democracy: fairness, justice, and equality. As a prosecutor, I have kept these principles in mind during my public service. These cornerstone principles would also be the foundation of my judicial philosophy. Always remembering the humanity of all individuals appearing in court and mindful that people’s lives, liberty and wellbeing are impacted by the daily decisions judges make will be central to my decision-making as a judge.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2022 Elections
- United States District Court for the Southern District of California
- Courts in California
- California Superior Courts
- San Diego County, California
- San Diego, California
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The White House, "President Biden Names Forty-Fourth Round of Judicial Nominees," accessed January 10, 2024
- ↑ Under Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, pending nominations are returned to the president if the Senate adjourns sine die or recesses for more than 30 days.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 [https://www.congress.gov/nomination/118th-congress/1407?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22Rebecca+Kanter%22%7D&s=7&r=1 Congress.gov, "PN1407 — Rebecca Suzanne Kanter — The Judiciary ," accessed February 5, 2024]
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2022
- ↑ Under Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, pending nominations are returned to the president if the Senate adjourns sine die or recesses for more than 30 days.
Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California
State courts:
California Supreme Court • California Courts of Appeal • California Superior Courts
State resources:
Courts in California • California judicial elections • Judicial selection in California
