Ana Isabel de Alba

Ana Isabel de Alba (born 1979) is a United States circuit judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She previously served as a district judge for the Eastern District of California and, before her federal judicial service, held positions in private practice, civil‑rights advocacy, and state trial courts. Appointed to the appellate bench by President Joseph R. Biden, de Alba’s career reflects experience across a range of civil and criminal matters and marks her as one of the Hispanic and Latino jurists serving on the federal judiciary.

Early life and legal career

Ana Isabel de Alba was born in Merced, California, in 1979. She pursued undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with highest honors in 2002. Continuing her education at the same institution, she obtained a Juris Doctor from UC Berkeley School of Law in 2007.

Following law school, de Alba began her professional career with the American Civil Liberties Union’s Immigrants’ Rights Project in San Francisco, where she worked on issues affecting immigrant communities. Later that year she joined the Fresno‑based firm Lang Richet & Patch as an associate. Over a six‑year period she developed expertise in civil litigation, and in 2013 she was elevated to partnership within the same firm. As a partner, her practice concentrated on tort law, employment disputes, and construction‑related matters, providing her with extensive experience in both plaintiff and defendant advocacy.

In October 2018, de Alba transitioned from private practice to the state judiciary when Governor Jerry Brown appointed her to the Fresno County Superior Court. She filled the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Dale Ikeda, assuming responsibilities as a trial judge handling a broad docket that included civil, criminal, and family law cases. Her tenure on the superior court bench lasted until her elevation to the federal district court in 2022.

Federal appellate service

#### District‑court appointment

President Joe Biden nominated de Alba on January 19 2022 to serve as a United States district judge for the Eastern District of California, filling the seat left vacant when Judge Morrison C. England Jr. took senior status in December 2019. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on her nomination on April 27 2022 and subsequently reported it favorably by a 12–10 vote on May 26 2022. Following procedural motions, cloture was filed on June 13 2022 and invoked three days later with a 52‑43 vote. The full Senate confirmed de Alba on June 21 2022 by a margin of 53‑45. She received her commission on July 7 2022 and took the oath of office the following day.

During her roughly fifteen‑month service as a district judge, de Alba presided over both civil and criminal matters arising in the Eastern District of California. Her docket included cases involving federal statutes, immigration issues, and a variety of civil disputes, allowing her to apply her prior experience in torts, employment law, and construction litigation within the federal context.

#### Elevation to the Ninth Circuit

On April 14 2023 President Biden announced his intent to nominate de Alba for elevation to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The formal nomination was transmitted to the Senate on April 17 2023, designating her as the successor to Judge Paul J. Watford, who had resigned effective May 31 2023.

The Senate Judiciary Committee conducted a confirmation hearing on May 17 2023. During this session, Republican members raised questions concerning de Alba’s sentencing decisions while serving on the district court. Specific points of inquiry included her imposition of a 66‑month prison term in a child‑pornography case—shorter than the federal guideline range of 78 to 97 months—and her decision in 2021 to release from home monitoring an undocumented immigrant who had been linked to the killing of a police officer. These issues were presented as part of the committee’s broader assessment of her judicial record.

The committee reported de Alba’s nomination out of the Judiciary Committee on June 8 2023 by an 11‑10 party‑line vote. The full Senate invoked cloture on November 9 2023 with a 49‑42 tally, noting that Senator Joe Manchin voted against invoking cloture. Subsequently, her confirmation was secured on November 13 2023 by a 48‑43 vote, again with Senator Manchin opposing the final approval. De Alba received her appellate commission on November 15 2023 and assumed active service on the Ninth Circuit shortly thereafter.

Jurisprudence and legacy

Ana Isabel de Alba’s judicial career spans state trial courts, federal district courts, and now a federal appellate bench, providing her with a comprehensive perspective on both procedural and substantive law. Her background in civil‑rights advocacy through the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project informs an awareness of immigration-related legal issues, while her private‑practice experience in torts, employment, and construction law contributes to a nuanced understanding of complex civil litigation.

During her district‑court tenure, de Alba handled a diverse docket that required application of federal sentencing guidelines, discretion in pre‑trial release decisions, and management of high‑stakes criminal matters. The scrutiny of specific sentencing outcomes during her appellate confirmation process underscores the importance placed on judicial discretion in federal courts. Although some of her sentencing choices were noted as falling below guideline ranges, such deviations are permissible under statutory provisions that allow judges to consider mitigating factors; the Senate’s questioning reflected broader debates about consistency and leniency in federal sentencing.

As a Hispanic and Latina jurist appointed to one of the nation’s most populous appellate circuits, de Alba contributes to the demographic diversification of the federal judiciary. Her presence on the Ninth Circuit enhances representation for communities historically underrepresented within the higher echelons of the legal system. While her tenure on the appellate bench is in its early stages, her prior experience across multiple jurisdictions positions her to engage with a wide array of legal issues that regularly come before the Ninth Circuit, including immigration law, civil rights, environmental regulation, and complex commercial disputes.

In sum, Ana Isabel de Alba’s progression from civil‑rights advocacy through private practice, state trial courts, and federal district court to the appellate level illustrates a career marked by varied legal exposure and an evolving role within the United States judiciary. Her appointment reflects both the executive branch’s confidence in her qualifications and the Senate’s deliberative process concerning judicial philosophy and discretion. As she continues to serve on the Ninth Circuit, de Alba will shape precedent across a broad jurisdiction while embodying the growing diversity of the federal bench.