The Hon. Michelle Williams Court
Los Angeles, CA
U.S. District Court, Central District of California
Pomona College
Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. appointed Michelle Williams Court as a United States District Judge for the Central District of California on November 7, 2024, and she assumed office on November 12, 2024. Judge Court presides over matters in Los Angeles in the Court’s Western Division.
Before her appointment to the federal bench, Judge Court served as a Superior Court Judge for Los Angeles County. As a state court judge, Judge Court presided over civil and family law matters. She served as Supervising Judge of the Civil Division from 2022 through 2024 and served as Assistant Supervising Judge of the Civil Division from January 2021 to December 2022. Judge Court also served by appointment by the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court on the Judicial Council of California and several of its advisory bodies and the California Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Ethics Opinions.
Prior to her appointment to the Superior Court, Judge Court served in multiple roles at Bet Tzedek Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm focused on poverty law. There, she worked as Deputy Director of Litigation, Director of Litigation, interim President and CEO, and finally as Vice President and General Counsel. As Vice President and General Counsel, she directed the legal work of more than 30 staff attorneys and advocates, supervised the Human Resources and Pro Bono Departments, and implemented the strategic vision to the organization, which includes direct services and impact litigation. Additionally, in 2006, Judge Court served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles where she co-taught a seminar on poverty law.
Before joining Bet Tzedek, Judge Court worked as a senior associate at Milberg, Weiss, Bershad Hynes & Lerach where her practice focused on consumer and civil rights class actions involving unfair business practices. From 1999 to 2000, Judge Court worked on Fair Housing Act policy and enforcement initiatives as a Community Builder Fellow, Civil Rights Specialist at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
From 1995 to 1999, Judge Court worked as an associate at Litt & Márquez where she focused on multi-plaintiff and class action employment and housing cases. From 1994 to 1995, she worked for the ACLU of Southern California as a project attorney on a team representing individual and organizational plaintiffs in Native American burial site and workplace disputes. From 1993 to 1994, Judge Court worked as an associate at Gilbert, Kelly, Crowley & Jennett where she represented defendants suspected of insurance fraud in automobile accident cases.
Throughout her career, Judge Court has been active in several bar and judges’ associations. She has also dedicated significant time to legal education, outreach, and mentorship, including by presiding over many moot court programs and competitions.
Judge Court received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Pomona College in 1988 and her Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles in 1993.
