First openly Gay judge for Eastern District of California confirmed by U.S. Senate
Calabratta served on the Sacramento Superior Court
By a 51 – 45 vote by the U.S. Senate, Daniel J. Calabratta was confirmed as U.S. District Judge for the Sacramento-based Eastern District of California. Calabratta filled the vacancy created when Judge John A. Mendez took senior status.
Calbratta was first nominated by President Joe Biden in August 2022 but was not confirmed before the end of the session. Biden renominated Calabratta on January 3 and was confirmed on February 16.
Upon taking his oath, Judge Calabretta will become the first openly Gay judge appointed to the Eastern District. He will maintain chambers in Sacramento.
“Our bench is delighted by the welcome news of Judge Calabretta’s confirmation and look forward to his appointment by the President. His reputation as an exemplary judge and public servant precedes him,” Chief District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller of the Eastern District of California said. “We look forward to welcoming him soon as a colleague and know that the many litigants who entrust their cases to our court will be well served by his diligence and hard work, excellent judgment, and humility.”
Before obtaining his confirmation, Calabratta was appointed to the Sacramento Superior Court in 2018 by former Governor Jerry Brown. Most recently, Calabratta was presiding judge at Juvenile Court.
Included in his lengthy resume, Calabratta was an associate with Munger, Tolles, and Olson, served as a deputy attorney general in the California Department of Justice, and from 2013 to 2018, he served as deputy legal affairs secretary in the Office of Governor Jerry Brown.
Calabratta received a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University in 2000 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School in 2003.
Since taking office over two years ago, Biden has made 105 appointments to the federal bench, including the appointment of Supreme Court Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Biden’s appointment pace has exceeded that of his three immediate predecessors and, by several measures, is the most diverse.
