Richard Gus Seeborg[1] (born November 4, 1956) is the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. He formerly served as a United States Magistrate Judge in the same district.
Richard Seeborg | |
---|---|
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California | |
Assumed office February 1, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Phyllis J. Hamilton |
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California | |
Assumed office January 4, 2010 | |
Appointed by | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Maxine M. Chesney |
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California | |
In office February 9, 2001 – January 4, 2010 | |
Succeeded by | Donna Ryu |
Personal details | |
Born | Richard Gus Seeborg November 4, 1956 Landstuhl, West Germany (now Germany) |
Education | Yale University (BA) Columbia University (JD) |
Born in Landstuhl, Germany, Seeborg earned a Bachelor of Arts in history summa cum laude from Yale University in May 1978 and then earned a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 1981.[2] From 1981 to 1982, Seeborg served as a law clerk to judge John H. Pratt of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.[2][3]
In 1982, Seeborg joined the San Francisco law firm of Morrison & Foerster as an associate.[2] He became a partner with the firm in 1987.[2] In 1991, Seeborg left Morrison & Foerster to become an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of California in San Jose, California.[2] He served in that post until 1998, when he returned to Morrison & Foerster, working as a partner and focusing on a litigation practice in the fields of securities, intellectual property, and general commercial matters.[2][3]
On February 9, 2001, Seeborg became a United States Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.[2][3]
On August 7, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Seeborg to be a United States district judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.[4] On October 15, 2009, the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary voted to send Seeborg's nomination to the full Senate.[5] The Senate confirmed Seeborg by unanimous consent on December 24, 2009. He received his commission on January 4, 2010.[3] He became Chief Judge on February 1, 2021, after Phyllis J. Hamilton assumed senior status.[6]
Seeborg resides in San Francisco, California.[5]