Michelle Williams Court

On April 24, 2024, President Biden nominated Judge Michelle Williams Court to the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Court currently serves as a Supervising Judge of the Civil Division for the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.

Read our letter of support here.

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Biography

Michelle Williams Court was born in 1966 in Great Falls, Montana. She earned her B.A from Pomona College in 1988 and her J.D. from Loyola Law School in 1993.

Legal Experience 

After law school, Court worked as an associate at Gilbert, Kelly, Crowley & Jennett. As an associate, Court represented defendants in automobile accident cases where the defendant’s insurance carrier suspected insurance fraud. During this time, she was deeply involved in pre-trial discovery, case management, and motion practice. She then took on a project attorney role with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California from 1994 to 1995. Here, she contributed significantly to cases involving Native American rights and workplace disputes, taking and defending depositions and supporting trials as second chair. Transitioning to Litt & Marquez from 1995 to 1999, Court tackled a range of responsibilities, from litigation and settlements to trials and appeals, specifically focusing on multi-plaintiff and class action employment and housing cases.

From 1999 to 2000, Court served as a Community Builder Fellow, Civil Rights Specialist at the United States Department of Housing & Urban Development, a prestigious role among just five other nationwide fellows. She contributed to Fair Housing Act policy and enforcement initiatives as part of the HUD/Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Community Builder Fellowship, protecting individuals’ housing rights and supporting community development programs. The following year, from 2000 to 2002, Court advanced her career as a senior associate at Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach. Here, she focused on pretrial litigation in consumer and civil rights class actions, addressing unfair business practices such as insurance discrimination, employment discrimination, and mortgage lending fraud.  

From 2002 to 2012, Court held various leadership roles at Bet Tzedek Legal Services, a top-tier organization and nonprofit law firm specializing in poverty law. Beginning as Deputy Director of Litigation and advancing to Director of Litigation, interim CEO, and eventually Vice President and General Counsel, she oversaw a team of over 30 staff attorneys and advocates. Her responsibilities included directing legal operations, supervising human resources and pro bono departments and collaborating with the President/CEO to execute the organization’s strategic vision.                                                                                   

Judicial Experience  

Since February 2012, Court has been a judge for the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. Initially presiding over a family law calendar from February 2012 to July 2015, she later transitioned to a civil calendar, where she served until December 2022. From January 2021 to December 2022, she also served as an Assistant Supervising Judge of the Civil Division. Since December 2022, Court has served as the Supervising Judge of the Civil Division. In this capacity, she oversees the management and administration of the civil division and its approximately 135 judges and commissioners, demonstrating her continued commitment to judicial excellence.

The following cases are representative of Court’s judicial career: