Andre Birotte, Jr. (JD '91) Confirmed as Federal District Judge

The United States Senate has confirmed the nomination of U.S. Attorney and 1991 Pepperdine Law alumnus Andre Birotte, Jr., to serve as a district judge of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Birotte's confirmation was the unanimous decision of all 100 senators. Birotte is the third Pepperdine Law alumnus confirmed to the federal bench in two years.

Birotte has been the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California since 2010. He was the first African-American to serve in that post. Prior to the U.S. Attorney's office, Birotte served as the inspector general for the Los Angeles Police Department, as an associate at the Los Angeles law firm of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, and as a Los Angeles county public defender.  Birotte received his undergraduate degree in 1987 from Tufts University. While a law student, he served as law clerk and intern at two law firms, the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Central District, and the San Diego County Public Defender's Office.

Appointed under Article III of the Constitution, federal district court judges are nominated by the president, confirmed by the Senate and serve lifetime appointments upon good behavior. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California covers seven of the most populous counties in Southern California. Birotte joins alumna Judge Beverly Reid O'Connell (JD '90) on the bench of the Central District of California, while Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey (JD '97) is a United States District Judge of the District Court for the District of Nevada.