Superior Court Judge Dena Michaela Coggins Joins Federal Judiciary in California
Coggins becomes the 201st federal judge confirmed during Joe Biden's presidency.
The U.S. Senate today held a recorded vote to confirm one individual as an Article III federal judge. With this confirmation, 201 judges nominated by President Joe Biden have now been confirmed by the Senate. With today’s action, 156 of Biden’s judicial nominees have been approved for service on federal district courts.
In a 50-44 vote, Dena Michaela Coggins was confirmed as a Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. She is Biden’s fifth confirmation to the 6-person court, with no additional vacancies at this time. Once Coggins is commissioned, four of Biden’s nominees will remain in active service. Judge Ana de Alba was subsequently elevated to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Coggins assumes the Sacramento-based seat currently held by Kimberly J. Mueller, who intends to take senior status in September 2024. A nominee of President Barack Obama, Mueller has served on this court since December 2010 and has been Chief Judge since January 2020. Coggins was nominated to this seat on the federal judiciary by Biden in February 2024.
Coggins worked as an associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP from 2007 to 2012 and at Downey Brand LLP from 2012 to 2013. She then served as Deputy Legal Affairs Secretary for the Governor of California from 2013 to 2015. She then became an Administrative Law Judge with the State of California’s Office of Administrative Hearings - in the Special Education Division from 2015 to 2017 and in the General Jurisdiction Division from 2018 to 2021. Since 2021, she has been a Judge for the Superior Court of California for the County of Sacramento.