Southern District of California / Appointed 1998 / Active

Thomas J. Whelan

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

Appointed by President William J. Clinton in 1998 and confirmed by voice vote, Thomas J. Whelan is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. He earned a law degree from San Diego School of Law (now University of San Diego School of Law) in 1965. Sources: FJC Biographical Directory · Senate confirmation, October 21, 1998

Appointed by
William J. Clinton, 1998
Confirmed
by voice vote
Education
San Diego College for Men (now of San Diego) 1961 · San Diego Law (now of San Diego School of Law) 1965
Federal judicial service
YearCourtAppointed byVote
1998Southern District of California · succeeded John Skylstead Rhoades Sr.Clinton (D)voice

A per-senator roll-call isn’t shown for this confirmation. The Senate’s recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989; many confirmations (especially before then, and most to the lower courts) were by voice vote or unanimous consent.

Education
San Diego College for Men (now University of San Diego)B.A.1961
San Diego School of Law (now University of San Diego School of Law)J.D.1965
Sources

27 years on the Southern District of California. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).