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Preceded by Morrison C. England Jr. | ||
Lawrence Joseph O'Neill (born 1952) is Chief United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California.
Born in Oakland, California, O'Neill was a police officer for the City of San Leandro, California from 1973 to 1976. He received a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1973, an M.P.A. from Golden Gate University in 1976, and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1979. He was a law clerk to Hon. Robert F. Kane, First Appellate Court, California Court of Appeal in 1979. He was in private practice in Fresno, California from 1979 to 1990. He was an Adjunct professor at San Joaquin College of Law in Clovis, CA from 1986 to 1992. He was a judge on the Fresno County Superior Court, California from 1990 to 1999, and served as U.S. Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California from 1999–2007.
On January 9, 2007, O'Neill was nominated by President George W. Bush to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California vacated by Oliver W. Wanger. O'Neill was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 1, 2007, and received his commission on February 2, 2007. He became Chief Judge in June 2016.