Chief Judge Ware Announces Transition
On April 28, Chief Judge Ware announced to the attendees at the Northern District Judicial Conference in Monterey that he plans to step down as Chief Judge of the District and retire in August 2012 as the terms of his current law clerks come to an end. Chief Judge Ware has served as Chief Judge since January 2011.
Under 28 USC § 134, the maximum term of service for the Chief Judge of a District Court is seven years and the designation of a new chief judge is based upon seniority among those active district judges who are 64 years of age or under at the time a vacancy occurs. District Judge Claudia Wilken will therefore become the Court's next Chief Judge.
According to Chief Judge Ware, "Providing leadership to the Court in my capacity as Chief Judge has been an extremely rewarding part of my judicial career. I wish to thank and commend my colleagues, my staff and the talented and diverse employees of the Clerk's Office, the Probation Office, the Pretrial Services Office and the Public Defender as well as the Marshals Service, the United States Attorney and the bar of this Court. It is good to know that the Court is in such good hands as I prepare to pass the leadership of the Court to Judge Wilken."
Further information about the Court's leadership transition, as well as information about Chief Judge Ware's cases, will be the subject of one or more future notices.
Rich Wieking
Clerk of Court
(415) 522-4012