Judge Susan Illston
Northern California U.S. District Court
Susan Yvonne Illston was born in 1948 in Tokyo, Japan. She was raised in the military, then earned her undergraduate degree from Duke University and her Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School.
Illston worked as an associate and then a partner for a Burlingame, California, law firm for twenty-two years.
President Bill Clinton nominated her for federal judge of the Northern District of California in January 1995. The Senate confirmed her in May, and she received her judicial commission the next day. Illston assumed senior status in July 2013.
In the News…
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston issued a preliminary injunction as a follow-up to the initial restraining order against President Trump’s administration to stop the termination of federal workers during the government shutdown. She stated that labor unions were likely to succeed in their claims that the Offices of Personnel Management and Management and Budget could not legally authorize the layoffs.
Judge Illston characterized the actions as “arbitrary and capricious,” and that the firings were “political retribution.”
Judge Illston said, “It’s important to remember that there are human faces on all the actions that we are discussing this morning.” She added that the actions are “having tremendous impacts on people.”
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Judge Illston today? You can let her know at:
The Honorable Susan Illston
Northern California U.S. District Court
Phillip Burton Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse
450 Golden Gate Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102
