Roopali Hardin Desai (born 1978) is a Canadian-American lawyer has served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit since 2022.

Education

Desai was born in 1978 in Toronto, Canada. Desai's parents were born in India. She attended the University of Arizona, graduating in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts. She worked as an outreach coordinator at a children's advocacy center and earned a

Master of Public Health The Master of Public Health or Master of Philosophy in Public Health (M.P.H.), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.), International Masters for Healt ...

from Arizona in 2001. From 2001 to 2002, Desai was director of residential services at a

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

shelter. She then attended Arizona's

James E. Rogers College of Law University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law is the law school at the University of Arizona located in Tucson, Arizona and was the first law school founded in the State of Arizona, opening its doors in 1915. Also known as University of Ar ...

, graduating in 2005 with a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

. Desai served as the legal counsel and campaign attorney for senator Kyrsten Sinema.

Career

After graduating from law school, Desai was a

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

to Chief Judge Mary M. Schroeder of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2005 to 2006. From 2006 to 2007, she was an associate at

Lewis & Roca Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie is a U.S. law firm with approximately 300 attorneys across ten offices in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico. Its administrative offices are located in Phoenix, where it was founded in 1950 as Lewi ...

in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2007, Desai joined the Phoenix law firm Coppersmith Brockelman as an associate, becoming a partner in 2013. In naming her one of the publication's 2022 "Women of the Year", '' USA Today'' called her "a hero of Democratic legal causes," noting her work to launch a recreational marijuana program in Arizona, her lawsuits fighting

false claims A false accusation is a claim or allegation of wrongdoing that is untrue and/or otherwise unsupported by facts. False accusations are also known as groundless accusations or unfounded accusations or false allegations or false claims. They can occur ...

about the

2020 United States presidential election The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala Ha ...

, and her work to overturn a ban on mask mandates. Desai is a member of the

ACLU The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

Notable cases

In 2020, Desai represented the Arizona Dispensaries Association in advising it on a marijuana legalization campaign. After the

2020 U.S. presidential election The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala H ...

, Desai successfully represented the Arizona Secretary of State's office in several cases involving unsuccessful challenges to the state's results.

Federal judicial service

On June 15, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Desai to serve as a United States circuit judge for the Ninth Circuit. Biden nominated Desai to the seat vacated by Judge

Andrew D. Hurwitz Andrew David Hurwitz (born October 1, 1947) is a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He served as a justice of the Arizona Supreme Court from 2003 to 2012. Education and clerkships Hur ...

, who announced his intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor. On July 13, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On July 28, 2022, her nomination was favorably reported by the committee by a voice vote, with Senators Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and Marsha Blackburn recorded as voting “no”. On August 4, 2022, the United States Senate confirmed her nomination by a 67–29 vote, just 50 days after her initial nomination and the fastest of any court of appeals nomination since the

Clinton administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following a decisive election victory over Re ...

. She received her judicial commission on October 3, 2022. Desai became the first

South Asian South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, ...

person to serve on the Ninth Circuit.

Personal life

Desai is married to artist and Phoenix College professor Jay Hardin. The couple have three daughters.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Desai, Roopali 1978 births Living people 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American women judges American jurists of Indian descent Arizona lawyers Canadian emigrants to the United States James E. Rogers College of Law alumni Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Lawyers from Toronto United States court of appeals judges appointed by Joe Biden University of Arizona alumni University of Arizona faculty