Vijay Gandhi becomes US federal judge
By Arun Kumar, IANSMonday, April 19, 2010
WASHINGTON - Vijay “Jay” C. Gandhi has become the first Indian American federal judge in the Central District of California and the second community member to become federal judge in the history of the United States.
Gandhi, 38, sworn in as a Magistrate Judge for the US District Court for the Central District of California last week, is also one of the youngest federal judges currently serving in the Central District.
Gandhi will sit in Los Angeles and will preside over matters arising from all three divisions of the court. The Central District of California is the largest district in the US, serving more than 19 million people.
“We are exceptionally proud of Judge Gandhi for his accomplishments, especially given his steadfast commitment to the South Asian community,” said Joseph J. Centeno, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “He will be an outstanding magistrate judge.”
Gandhi was formerly a litigation partner at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP. He practiced law for nearly 12 years at the firm, as an associate from 1998 to 2006, and as an equity partner, thereafter.
He also worked on a full-time basis as a volunteer Deputy District Attorney and first-chaired multiple jury trials as a prosecutor.
Gandhi has been repeatedly recognisd as a “Rising Star Lawyer” in the “Super Lawyers” Edition of Law & Politics Magazine.
He is also a prolific writer and speaker on securities and business litigation, and has co-authored a book about securities law claims.
Prior to joining Paul Hastings, Gandhi clerked for Kenneth M. Hoyt, US District Court Judge for the Southern District of Texas.
Gandhi received his JD degree from the University of Southern California Law School, where he graduated Order of the Coif and received multiple American Jurisprudence awards.
Gandhi is also a Past President and Lifetime Member of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California, an affiliate of NAPABA.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
