Federal district gets Indian-American judge

April 14, 2010

Vijay Chand Gandhi

A history-making Indian-American federal judge will be sworn in today as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Central District of California, which includes San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara  counties. [LompocRecord]

Vijay Chand Gandhi, 38, will be the first Indian-American federal judge in the Central District, and only the second Indian-American federal judge in the nation’s history.

The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California is the largest in the nation with a population of more than 19 million and includes the counties of San Luis Obispo, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside. In 2009, 14,900 cases were filed in the district.

Gandhi, who practiced law for nearly 12 years, specialized in complex business litigation and class actions.

Magistrate judges are appointed for an eight-year term and can be reappointed. They rule on discovery disputes in civil cases, conduct preliminary proceedings in criminal cases and try misdemeanor cases.


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