Alameda County Superior Court Judge Noël Wise Elevated to Federal Bench

Wise becomes the 233rd federal judge confirmed by the U.S. Senate 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, 233 judges nominated by President Joe Biden have now been confirmed by the Senate. With today’s action, 185 of Biden’s judicial nominees have been approved for service on federal district courts.

In a 50-47 vote, Noël Wise was confirmed as a Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. She is Biden’s seventh confirmation to the 14-person court, with no additional vacancies at this time.

Wise assumes the San Jose-based seat currently held by Edward Davila, who intends to take senior status upon confirmation of his successor. A nominee of President Barack Obama, Davila has served on this court since March 2011. Wise was nominated to this seat on the federal judiciary by Biden in June 2024.

From 1994 to 2002, Wise worked as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. From 2002 to 2004, she served as of counsel at Stoel Rives LLP. From 2004 to 2006, she was in-house counsel at Pacific Gas and Electric Company. In 2006, she co-founded Wise Gleicher in Alameda and remained a partner there until 2014. Since 2014, she has served as a Judge on the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda.