Indian-Origin Judge Named Associate Justice Of District Court In US

An Indian-origin judge, Shama Hakim Mesiwala, has been unanimously confirmed as an associate justice of a district court of appeal in the US state of California.

Ms Mesiwala's appointment as an associate justice of the Third District Court of Appeal in California's Sacramento city was confirmed on February 14 by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California, Patricia Guerrero, according to a press release by the Judicial Council of California.

"Judge Mesiwala was confirmed by unanimous vote of the three-member commission, which included Chief Justice Guerrero (Chair); Attorney General Rob Bonta; and Acting Presiding Justice Ronald B. Robie," the press release said.

Ms Mesiwala, in her late 40s, fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Coleman A. Blease.

She has served as a Sacramento County Superior Court judge since 2017 and was a commissioner there in 2017.

Ms Mesiwala has been an adjunct professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law since 2013 and was a judicial attorney at the Third District Court of Appeal from 2004 to 2017, the press release said.

She also served as a staff attorney at the Central California Appellate Program from 1999 to 2004 and as an attorney at the Office of the Federal Public Defender, Eastern District of California in 1999.

She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law.

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