Neetu Badhan Smith
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Neetu Badhan Smith is the first Sikh woman judge in the United States. Badhan Smith is a judge for the
Los Angeles County Superior Court The Superior Court of Los Angeles County is the California Superior Courts of California, Superior Court located in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States. The Sup ...
of California. She was appointed to the bench by former Governor Jerry Brown in 2017.


Biography

She was born into an immigrant Ravidasia Sikh family in California. Badhan-Smith earned 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 ...
degree from
Southwestern Law School Southwestern Law School is a Private university, private Law school in the United States, law school in Los Angeles, California. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and enrolls nearly 1,000 students. Its campus includes the Bullocks ...
and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...
. Prior to her appointment to the Superior Court, she had served as a deputy public defender at the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office since 2004. She was an attorney at the Southern California Housing Rights Centre from 2003 to 2004. She is inspired by Indian jurist Dr. Ambedkar and his movement against casteism.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Neetu Badhan Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women judges 21st-century American judges