Appointed by Jimmy Carter Role Judge Name Mariana Pfaelzer | Preceded by Francis C. Whelan | |
Born February 4, 1926
Los Angeles, California, U.S. ( 1926-02-04 ) Alma mater University of California, Santa Barbara (B.A.)
University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law (J.D.) Died May 14, 2015, Los Angeles, California, United States Education University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Santa Barbara | ||
Succeeded by Nora Margaret Manella | ||
Mariana R. Pfaelzer (February 4, 1926 – May 14, 2015) was a United States federal judge.
Born in Los Angeles, California in 1926, Pfaelzer received an A.B. from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1949 and a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law in 1957. She was in private practice in Los Angeles, California from 1957 to 1978.
On August 8, 1978, Pfaelzer was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to a seat on the United States District Court for the Central District of California vacated by Francis C. Whelan. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 22, 1978, and received commission the next day. She was the first female District Judge appointed to that District. She assumed senior status on December 31, 1997.
She is noted for her role in striking down California's Proposition 187, which would have denied services to illegal aliens. Pfaelzer handed down a $600 million judgment against Countrywide Financial.
On May 14, 2015, Pfaelzer died after serving on the federal bench for nearly 40 years. George H. King, the Chief District Court Judge for the Central District of California, noted that she "was the epitome of what a federal judge ought to be . . . presi[ding] with brilliance, analytical rigor, practicality, wisdom, grace and courage."
She was married to Frank Rothman, a lawyer.