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Gavel Passes to New Chief Judge in the Central District of California

Former Chief Judge Audrey B. Collins (right) passed title and duties to the new Chief Judge George H. King (left) in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Former Chief Judge Audrey B. Collins (right) passed title and duties to the new Chief Judge George H. King (left) in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

A gavel changed hands in the Central District of California last week as the district welcomed its new chief judge. In ceremonies held at the Spring Street Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, former Chief Judge Audrey B. Collins formally passed title and duties to the district’s new Chief Judge George H. King.

Collins has served as chief judge of the district since 2009. King assumed his new duties as chief judge at the close of business on September 14, 2012.

King is the first Asian-American to serve as Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and is also the district’s first chief judge to have previously served as chief magistrate judge. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1971, graduating magna cum laude, and his law degree in 1974 from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. Prior to his appointment as a magistrate judge, he practiced civil business litigation and was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

Related Topics: Judges & Judgeships