David Gonzalez Estudillo (born 1973)United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: David Estudillo
/ref> is an American lawyer serving as the chief United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the Western District of Washington United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

. He is a former Washington state court judge.

Early life and education

Estudillo was born and raised in

Sunnyside, Washington Sunnyside is a city in Yakima County, Washington, Yakima County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 16,375 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-most populous city in Yakima County. His ...

, where his parents owned a small grocery store. He received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

in 1996 and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

University of Washington School of Law The University of Washington School of Law is the law school of the University of Washington, located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. The school is fully accredited by the American Bar Asso ...

in 1999."President Biden Announces Second Slate of Judicial Nominees", White House, April 29, 2021

Career

After graduating law school, Estudillo began his legal career at Jeffers, Danielson, Sonn & Aylward in

Wenatchee Wenatchee ( ) is the county seat and most populous city of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and has increased to 35,508 as of 2020. Located in the north-central part of the stat ...

. From 2002 to 2005, he was an attorney with Scheer and Zehnder in the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

office, where his practice focused on complex

civil litigation Civil law is a major "branch of the law", in common law legal systems such as those in England and Wales and in the United States, where it stands in contrast to criminal law. Glanville Williams. ''Learning the Law''. Eleventh Edition. Stevens. 1 ...

. From 2005 to 2015, he was a solo practitioner at Estudillo Law Firm PLLC, where he focused on

immigration law Immigration law includes the national statutes, Primary and secondary legislation, regulations, and Precedent, legal precedents governing immigration into and deportation from a country. Strictly speaking, it is distinct from other matters such as ...

and general

. The firm represented detained and non-detained clients before the

Executive Office for Immigration Review The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) is a sub-agency of the United States Department of Justice whose chief function is to conduct removal proceedings in immigration courts and adjudicate appeals arising from the proceedings. These ...

and

Board of Immigration Appeals The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) is an administrative appellate court, appellate body within the Executive Office for Immigration Review of the United States Department of Justice responsible for reviewing decisions of the U.S. immigration ...

. He also represented people seeking immigration benefits through applications filed with

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that administers the country's naturalization and Immigration to the United States, immigration system. History ...

. In 2015, he was appointed by Washington Governor

Jay Inslee Jay Robert Inslee ( ; born February 9, 1951) is an American politician and lawyer who served from 2013 to 2025 as the 23rd governor of Washington. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 1993 to 1995 and again from 1999 to 2012 as a ...

to serve as a judge for the

Grant County Grant County may refer to: Places ;Australia * County of Grant, Victoria ;United States * Grant County, Arkansas * Grant County, Indiana * Grant County, Kansas *Grant County, Kentucky Grant County is a county located in the northern pa ...

Superior Court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

. and served until his elevation as a federal judge in 2021.

Federal judicial service

On April 29, 2021, President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

nominated Estudillo to serve as a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

for the

to the seat vacated by Judge

Ronald B. Leighton Ronald Bruce Leighton (born 1951) is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. Education and career Born in Stockton, California, Leighton received a Bachelor of Arts degre ...

, who assumed senior status on February 28, 2019. On June 9, 2021, a hearing on his nomination was held before the

Senate Judiciary Committee The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally known as the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a Standing committee (United States Congress), standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the United States Departm ...

. On July 15, 2021, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 15–7 vote. On September 14, 2021, the Senate invoked

cloture Cloture (, ), closure or, informally, a guillotine, is a motion or process in parliamentary procedure aimed at bringing debate to a quick end. The cloture procedure originated in the French National Assembly, from which the name is taken. is ...

on his nomination by a 52–42 vote. Later that day, his nomination was confirmed by a 54–41 vote. He received his judicial commission on October 7, 2021. He was sworn in on October 15, 2021. He became the chief judge on September 3, 2022, succeeding Ricardo S. Martinez.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Estudillo, David G. 1973 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Hispanic and Latino American judges Hispanic and Latino American lawyers Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington Superior court judges in the United States United States district court judges appointed by Joe Biden University of Washington alumni University of Washington School of Law alumni Washington (state) state court judges

Early life and education

Career

Federal judicial service

See also

References

External links