Sunshine Sykes Explained

Sunshine Sykes
Office:	Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California
Term Start:	June 14, 2022
Appointer:	Joe Biden
Predecessor:	James V. Selna
Office1:	Judge of the Riverside County Superior Court
Term Start1:	December 5, 2013
Term End1:	June 14, 2022
Predecessor1:	Randall White
Successor1:	Magdalena Cohen
Appointer1:	Jerry Brown
Birth Name:	Sunshine Suzanne Sykes
Birth Place:	Tuba City, Arizona, U.S.
Party:	Democratic^[1]
Education:	Stanford University (BA, JD)

Sunshine Suzanne Sykes (born 1974)^[2] is an American lawyer serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.^[3] She previously served as a judge of the California Superior Court for Riverside County from 2013 to 2022.

Early life and education

Sykes was born on the Navajo Nation Reservation in Tuba City, Arizona, and was raised in Gallup, New Mexico. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University in 1997 and a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School in 2001.^[4]

Career

From 2001 to 2003, Sykes worked as a staff attorney for California Indian Legal Services. From 2003 to 2005, she was a contract attorney for the Defense Panel at the Southwest Justice Center. She also worked for the California Department of Social Services. From 2005 to 2013, Sykes served as deputy county counsel for Riverside County, California. In 2013, she was nominated by then-Governor Jerry Brown to serve as a judge on the Riverside County Superior Court.^[5]

Federal judicial service

On December 15, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Sykes to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Presiden Biden nominated Sykes to the seat vacated by Judge James V. Selna, who assumed senior status on March 3, 2020.^[6] On February 1, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.^[7] On March 10, 2022, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–10 vote.^[8] On May 17, 2022, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 51–45 vote.^[9] On May 18, 2022, her nomination was confirmed by a 51–45 vote.^[10] She received her judicial commission on June 14, 2022. Sykes became the fifth American Indian ever to serve on the federal bench.^[11]

See also

• List of Native American jurists

Notes and References

1. Web site: December 5, 2013. Governor Brown Appoints Sunshine S. Sykes to Riverside County Superior Court. December 23, 2022 . www.ca.gov.
2. Web site: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. February 1, 2022.
3. Web site: 2021-12-15. President Biden Names Eleventh Round of Judicial Nominees. 2021-12-15. The White House. en-US.
4. Web site: Taking the Stand: Judge Sunshine Sykes. 2021-12-15. Stanford Law School. 31 May 2017 . en.
5. Web site: Staff. Native News Online. Judge Sunshine Suzanne Sykes, Navajo, Nominated for U.S. District Court. 2021-12-15. Native News Online. 15 December 2021 . en-GB.
6. Nominations Sent to the Senate. December 15, 2021. The White House. Washington, D.C..
7. Web site: Nominations . January 31, 2022 . United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Washington, D.C. .
8. Web site: Results of Executive Business Meeting – March 10, 2022. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. March 10, 2022.
9. Web site: May 17, 2022. On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Sunshine Suzanne Sykes to be U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California). May 17, 2022. United States Senate.
10. Web site: On the Nomination (Confirmation: Sunshine Suzanne Sykes, of California, to be U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California). May 18, 2022. United States Senate. May 18, 2022.
11. Web site: Republicans Cast Second Circuit Nominee as Soft on Crime (2). December 22, 2021. news.bloomberglaw.com. en.