David G. Estudillo

David G. Estudillo

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Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Western District of Washington

Tenure

2021 - Present

Years in position

3

Prior offices

Grant County Superior Court

Successor: Anna Gigliotti

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Report an officeholder change

Education

Bachelor's

University of Washington

Law

University of Washington

Personal

Profession

Attorney

David G. Estudillo is the chief judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. He was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on April 29, 2021, and confirmed by the United States Senate on September 14, 2021, by a vote of 54-41. Estudillo 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. In 2022, Estudillo became the chief judge of the court.

The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington 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.

Estudillo was a judge of the Grant Superior Court in Washington. He was appointed by Democratic Governor Jay Inslee on August 19, 2015, for a term commencing on September 1. At the time of his appointment to the court, Estudillo was the only Latino judge in Eastern Washington serving in a superior, district, or municipal court. Estudillo won election to the seat in 2016 and re-election in 2020.

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Western District of Washington

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On April 29, 2021, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Estudillo to the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. He was confirmed by a 54-41 vote of the U.S. Senate on September 14, 2021. Estudillo received commission on October 7, 2021. To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
Name: David G. Estudillo
Court: United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
Progress
Confirmed 138 days after nomination.
ANominated: April 29, 2021
AABA Rating: Majority Qualified/Minority Well Qualified
Questionnaire: Questionnaire
AHearing: June 9, 2021
QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
AReported: July 15, 2021
AConfirmed: September 14, 2021
AVote: 54-41

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Estudillo by a vote of 54-41 on September 14, 2021. To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Estudillo confirmation vote (September 14, 2021)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	47	0	1
Republican	5	41	4
Independent	2	0	0
Total	54	41	5

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Estudillo's nomination on June 9, 2021. The committee voted to advance Estudillo's nomination to the full Senate on July 15, 2021.

Nomination

On April 29, 2021, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Estudillo to the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Estudillo was nominated to replace Judge Ronald Leighton, who assumed senior status on February 28, 2019.

The American Bar Association rated Estudillo Qualified by a substantial majority and Well Qualified by a minority. To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Biography

Education

Estudillo earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Washington in 1996 and a J.D. from the University of Washinton Law School in 1999.

Professional career

The following is a summary of Estudillo's professional career:

• 2015-2021: Judge, Grant County Superior Court, Ephrata, Washington
• 2005-2015: Solo practitioner, Estudillo Law Firm PLLC
• 2002-2005: Attorney, Scheer and Zehnder LLP

About the court

Western District of Washington
Ninth Circuit
Judgeships
Posts: 7
Judges: 7
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief: David G. Estudillo
Active judges: Tiffany Cartwright, John Chun, David G. Estudillo, Kymberly Evanson, Lauren King, Tana Lin, Jamal Whitehead Senior judges: Robert Bryan, John Coughenour, Carolyn Dimmick, Richard Jones, Robert Lasnik, Ricardo Martinez, Marsha Pechman, James Robart, Barbara Rothstein, Benjamin Hale Settle, Thomas Zilly

The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington is one of 94 United States district courts. The district operates out of courthouses in Seattle and Tacoma, Wash. 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, but hears initial appeals at the Pioneer Federal Courthouse in Portland, Oregon.

The Western District of Washington 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 Western District of Washington consists of all the following counties in the western part of the state of Washington. The court's headquarters are in Seattle, with a courthouse in Tacoma.

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

2020

Estudillo was unopposed in the election for Grant Superior Court, Position 1. He won re-election with 27,504 votes; 443 votes went to write-in candidates.

2016

See also: Washington local trial court judicial elections, 2016

Washington held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. Candidates for district and superior court seats had to file for election by May 20, 2016. Primary elections were held on August 2, 2016, for six seats where more than two candidates filed for election. Incumbent David Estudillo defeated Nick Wallace in the Grant Superior Court nonpartisan general election for Position 1.

Grant Superior Court, Position 1 General Election, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
David Estudillo Incumbent	51.63%	13,859
Nick Wallace	48.37%	12,982
Total Votes		26,841
Source: Washington Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016 General Election Results," accessed November 13, 2016

Selection method

For more information about judicial selection processes in each state, click here.

Campaign themes

2016

Estudillo provided the following statement for the Washington general election voters pamphlet:

“	Judge David Estudillo is guided by faith, family, hard work, education and community -- Eastern Washington values he learned from his parents growing up in Sunnyside. His parents began as immigrant farm laborers and became small business owners and U.S. citizens. They were great role models. Nearly all of their ten children earned university degrees. Relying on these values every day, Judge Estudillo faithfully follows the Constitution and applies the law in a fair and thoughtful manner. Recalling his own humble beginnings, Judge Estudillo treats everyone with respect. He has earned a reputation for his calm, judicial temperament and articulate decision-making. Judge Estudillo’s appointment to the Superior Court was based on his professional credentials, statewide litigation experience, personal background, and integrity. He has proven himself to be an outstanding judge – the kind of judge Grant County deserves.	”
—David Estudillo (2016)

See also

• United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
• United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• Grant County, Washington
• Washington Superior Courts

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic
• United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
• Biography from the Federal Judicial Center

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	United States District Court for the Western District of Washington 2021-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Grant County Superior Court 2015-2021	Succeeded by Anna Gigliotti