Name Josephine Staton | Preceded by Alicemarie Stotler Preceded by Richard Fybel Role Judge | |
Born January 1, 1961 (age 63) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. ( 1961-01-01 ) Alma mater William Jewell CollegeHarvard University Education | ||
Josephine Laura Staton, (born 1961) is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
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Early life and education
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Staton graduated from Lindbergh High School (St. Louis, Missouri), earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1983 from William Jewell College and obtained a Juris Doctor in 1986 from Harvard Law School.
From 1986 until 1987, Staton was a law clerk for Judge John R. Gibson on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Professional career
From 1987 until 2002, Staton was an attorney with the San Francisco and Newport Beach offices of the law firm Morrison & Foerster, first as an associate (1987–1994) and then as a partner (1995–2002).
In 2002, Staton became a Superior Court judge in Orange County, California, based in Santa Ana. She was appointed to the position by Governor Gray Davis to fill the vacancy created when Judge Richard D. Fybel was elevated to the California Court of Appeal in Orange County.
Federal judicial service
On February 4, 2010, President Obama nominated Staton to fill the vacancy in the Central District created by Judge Alicemarie Stotler taking senior status in January 2009. On March 18, 2010, the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary reported Staton's nomination to the full Senate, which unanimously confirmed Staton on June 21, 2010, in a voice vote. She received her commission on June 22, 2010.
Staton was appointed to the bench under the name of Josephine Staton Tucker and served under that name until September 20, 2013.
Notable cases
Judge Staton presided over a challenge brought by several Orange County public school teachers to the California Teachers Union's exclusive bargaining system on constitutional grounds. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed her ruling in favor of the teachers union, and this ruling was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in a divided 4-4 per curium decision in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Ass'n. Justice Scalia had been the expected 5th vote to overturn the controlling 1977 Abood decision, but his 2016 death shortly after the case was argued meant there was a deadlocked decision.