Phyllis J. Hamilton

Phyllis Jean Hamilton (born June 12, 1952) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Education and career
Born in Jacksonville, Illinois, Hamilton received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University in 1974 and a cum laude Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1976. She was a deputy public defender in the California Office of the Public Defender from 1976 to 1980, and briefly served as a manager of EEO Programs for Farinon Electric Corporation in 1980. She became an administrative judge for the San Francisco Regional Office of the United States Merit Systems Protection Board from 1980 to 1985, and was a court commissioner for the Municipal Court, Oakland-Piedmont-Emeryville Judicial District from 1985 to 1991. From 1991 to 2000, Hamilton was a United States magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Federal judicial service
On February 9, 2000, Hamilton was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California created by 104 Stat. 5089 following the appointment of Fern M. Smith as Director of the Federal Judicial Center. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 24, 2000, and received her commission on May 25, 2000. She served as Chief Judge from December 17, 2014 until February 1, 2021 when she assumed senior status. She was the first African-American Chief Judge in the Court's history.