An Indian American decide presided over the looks of former U.S. president Donald Trump in a federal courthouse in downtown Washington DC.

Moxila A.Upadhyaya was appointed as a United States Magistrate Judge on September 7, 2022. Born in Gujarat and raised close to Kansas City, Missouri, Upadhyaya obtained her Bachelor of Journalism, magna cum laude, from the Missouri School of Journalism and Bachelor of Arts, with honours in Latin, from the University of Missouri.

She obtained her JD, cum laude, from the American University, Washington College of Law, the place she earned distinction for her trial work representing purchasers within the Criminal Justice Clinic and was a member of the Administrative Law Review.

After graduating from regulation college, Ms. Upadhyaya served a two-year time period as a regulation clerk to Eric T Washington, former Chief Judge of the DC Court of Appeals.

She then joined Venable LLP’s Washington, DC workplace, the place she practised complicated industrial and administrative litigation. She left Venable in 2011-12 to function the primary regulation clerk to Robert L Wilkins (at the moment the US Circuit Judge for the DC Circuit) throughout his tenure as a district decide on this court docket.

Ms. Upadhyaya then rejoined Venable after her clerkship with Judge Wilkins and continued her litigation apply till her appointment to the bench.

During her time as an affiliate and finally accomplice at Venable, in line with her resume, Ms. Upadhyaya devoted her professional bono apply to representing indigent purchasers in post-conviction proceedings, together with representing purchasers who raised challenges beneath the DC Innocence Protection Act and the DC Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act.

For her work on this capability, the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project awarded Judge Upadhyaya its Defender of Innocence Award in 2009 and Venable named her Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year in 2006.

From 2021-22, Judge Upadhyaya was appointed to serve on this court docket’s Committee on Grievances. She is the previous co-chair of the DC Bar Litigation Section Steering Committee and has served on the board of administrators for the DC Access to Justice Foundation and Council for Court Excellence. She can also be a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.