Gonzalo Paul Curiel
Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2012 and confirmed by voice vote, Gonzalo Paul Curiel is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. He earned a law degree from Indiana University School of Law -- Bloomington (now Maurer School of Law) in 1979. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1953 · age 73
- Appointed by
- Barack Obama, 2012
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- Indiana 1976 · Indiana Law -- Bloomington (now Maurer School of Law) 1979
- Succeeded
- Thomas J. Whelan
- Succeeded by
- Benjamin Jerome Cheeks
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Southern District of California succeeded Thomas J. Whelan | Obama (D) | Voice vote |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.
Confirmation vote
Voice vote
The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.
Education
| Indiana University | B.A. | 1976 |
| Indiana University School of Law -- Bloomington (now Maurer School of Law) | J.D. | 1979 |
Judicial Record
Caseload & case types
In our data, Curiel was assigned 2,065 district-court cases (2001–2026). Median time from filing to termination: 173 days across 1,743 closed cases.
Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.
On appeal
Of 151 of Curiel’s decisions reviewed on the merits by the U.S. courts of appeals in our data, 112 were affirmed, 24 reversed or vacated, and 15 affirmed in part and reversed in part. This is a historical count of appellate outcomes for cases we could match, not a judgment of the judge, and not a complete record. How we count.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Gonzalo Paul Curiel?
- President Barack Obama appointed Gonzalo Paul Curiel to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in 2012.
- Was Gonzalo Paul Curiel appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Gonzalo Paul Curiel was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Gonzalo Paul Curiel's confirmation vote?
- Gonzalo Paul Curiel was confirmed by voice vote on September 22, 2012. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court is Gonzalo Paul Curiel on?
- Gonzalo Paul Curiel is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: US District Court Southern District of California (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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13 years on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).