Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement after President Obama nominated San Diego Superior Court Judge Cynthia Bashant to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California:

“I was very pleased to recommend Judge Bashant to the president for this important appointment,” said Senator Feinstein. “Judge Bashant has served the people of San Diego with great distinction for more than two decades including as a superior court judge for the last 13 years. As a longtime federal prosecutor and trial judge, Judge Bashant is ideally suited to hit the ground running as a United States district judge.”

Judge Cynthia Bashant earned her bachelor’s degree from Smith College in 1982 and her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1986. She spent three years in private practice before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego in 1989, where she rose to become deputy chief of the Narcotics Unit and chief of the Border Crimes Unit.

Bashant received numerous awards and commendations for her service as a prosecutor. In 2000, Bashant was appointed to the San Diego Superior Court by Governor Gray Davis. She also served as presiding judge of the Juvenile Court in San Diego, a position to which she was appointed in 2010. Bashant has also been active in her community, including serving as president of the Lawyers Club of San Diego.

The Southern District of California has an extraordinarily high criminal caseload because of its location along the border. In particular, the Southern District has 452 criminal felony filings per judgeship. This is the third-highest criminal caseload per judge in the nation, 29 percent greater than it was in 2008 and nearly four times the national average.

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