WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, applauded the bipartisan confirmation of Kirk Sherriff, the Chief of the Fresno and Bakersfield Offices of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District, to fill the vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. The vacancy was created upon Judge Ana de Alba’s confirmation to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Padilla spoke on the Senate floor last week to urge his Senate colleagues to confirm Sherriff to the Eastern District.

“Throughout his career, Kirk Sherriff has developed an impeccable reputation in the Fresno legal community for being fair, sharp, and incredibly hard-working — all characteristics in high demand at a court with one of the heaviest caseloads in the country,” said Senator Padilla. “Mr. Sheriff also possesses a deep personal understanding of the needs of the racially diverse and historically disadvantaged communities in the Central Valley. I applaud his well-deserved confirmation and look forward to seeing him continue to serve the Eastern District with honor.”

Kirk Sherriff currently serves as the Chief of the Fresno and Bakersfield Offices of the Eastern District U.S. Attorney’s Office where he oversees federal prosecutions, manages four unit-chiefs, and supervises overall operations, including working with the courts, law enforcement, and community representatives. He is actively involved in investigations and litigation, focusing on fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement, and certain violent crimes. Sherriff spent five years in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District, focusing on forest fire cases, civil fraud, tort cases, and civil enforcement actions before moving to the Criminal Division. In both the divisions, Sherriff has litigated cases before both the Eastern District and the Ninth Circuit.

Sherriff previously worked as an associate in the Litigation Department of White & Case LLP in New York City and Paris, primarily focusing on arbitration and civil litigation. He also clerked for New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Deborah T. Poritz. Sherriff received his J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he served as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Human Rights Journal and worked at the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, and he received his B.A. from Columbia University.

Senator Padilla is committed to rebuilding a federal judiciary that better reflects and understands the America it serves. Within weeks of being sworn into the Senate, Padilla established a Judicial Evaluation Commission that is approximately 70 percent attorneys of color and a majority women to evaluate candidates for federal judicial vacancies in California. Senator Padilla has worked closely with the Biden administration to recommend and support the nominations of highly-qualified, outstanding judges to the federal courts.

Video of Padilla’s remarks can be found here.

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