Northern District of California / Appointed 2024 / Active

Noël Wise

Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Appointed by President Joseph R. Biden in 2024 and confirmed by the Senate 50–47, Noël Wise is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. She earned a law degree from Nova University (now Nova Southeastern University) Shepard Broad Law Center in 1993. Sources ↓

Born
1968 · age 58
Appointed by
Joseph R. Biden, 2024
Confirmed
50–47
Education
University of Nevada, Las Vegas 1989 · Nova (now Nova Southeastern University) Shepard Broad Law Center 1993

Federal judicial service

YearCourtAppointed byVote
2024Northern District of CaliforniaBiden (D)50–47

Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.

Confirmation vote

Nomination Confirmed 50–47 on December 11, 2024 · 118th Congress, Roll Call 321. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.

Voted to confirm · 50

47 D, 3 I

Voted against · 47

46 R, 1 I

Did not vote · 3

3 R

Education

Before the bench

Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.

Law clerk, Hon. Harry Lee Anstead, Florida District Court of Appeal, Fourth District1993-1994
Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice1994-2002
Honors trial attorney, Environmental Enforcement Section1994-1997
Assistant U.S. attorney, Southern District of California (on detail)1997-1998
Trial attorney, Environmental Crimes Section1998-1999
Trial attorney, Environmental Enforcement Section1999-2002
Associate professor, George Washington University Law School1995-1997
Adjunct professor, Semester in Washington Program, Vermont Law School1997-1998
Adjunct professor, Golden Gate University School of Law2000-2001
Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley School of Law2000-2006
Teaching fellow, Stanford Law School2001-2002
Private practice, San Francisco, California2002-2004
In-house counsel, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San Francisco, California, 2004-2006; acting director and manager of Renewable Power Generation2005-2006
Private practice, Alameda, California2006-2014
Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Alameda2014-2024
Judge, Family Law Division2014-2016
Assistant supervising judge, Family Law Division2017
Panel judge, Appellate Division2018-2019
Judge and acting supervising judge, Civil Division2018-2021
Supervising judge, Appellate Division2019-2021
Judge pro tem, California Court of Appeal, Second District2021-2022
Judge, Civil Division2023
Supervising judge, Civil Complex Litigation2023-2024

Questions & answers

Who appointed Noël Wise?
President Joseph R. Biden appointed Noël Wise to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 2024.
Was Noël Wise appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
Noël Wise was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
What was Noël Wise's confirmation vote?
The Senate confirmed Noël Wise 50–47 on December 11, 2024.
Which court is Noël Wise on?
Noël Wise is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Sources

Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.

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1 year on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).