--- title: "Kim McLane Wardlaw | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kim-mclane-wardlaw" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Kim McLane Wardlaw U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit - State: National federal courts - Role: U.S. Circuit Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 1998-present - American judge and lawyer serving on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit since August 3, 1998 - Judge, District Court, C.D. California, 1995-1998 - Joined the Los Angeles firm O’Melveny & Myers in 1980, later becoming a litigation partner - Law clerk, Hon. William P. Gray, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 1979-1980 - Wardlaw clerked for Judge William P. Gray (U.S. District Court, Central District of California) and held the role of a legal extern for Judge Joseph T. Sneed III (Ninth Circuit) - In summary: Kim McLane Wardlaw is a distinguished federal judge with a career spanning legal practice, political service, and two decades on the federal bench, notable for her historic appointment to the Ninth Circuit and her work in complex litigation and civil rights matters ### Education - UCLA School of Law — J.D. (1979) ### Additional information - Member, Mayoral Transition Committee, Mayor-Elect Richard Riordan, Los Angeles, CA, 1993-present - U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Nominated January 27, 1998; confirmed July 31, 1998; commissioned August 3, 1998. - U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Nominated by President Bill Clinton on August 10, 1995; confirmed December 22, 1995; served until August 3, 1998. - Private practice, Los Angeles, CA, 1980-1995 - She also worked on the Clinton-Gore Presidential Transition Team (1992–1993) and as Government Liaison for Mayor-elect Richard Riordan. - Member, Justice Team I, Clinton-Gore Presidential Transition Team, 1992-1993 - Born Kim Anita McLane in San Francisco, California, in 1954, Wardlaw is the daughter of a Scotch Irish salesman and Soledad Jiménez, an accountant of Mexican descent. - Date of birth: 1954-01-01 - The first Hispanic American woman appointed to a federal appeals court. - Considered a potential Supreme Court nominee by President Barack Obama. - Wardlaw has been recognized for her expertise in intellectual property and media/communications law. - Her judicial record includes significant rulings in areas such as immigration bond hearings, environmental law, copyright, and trademark cases. - Spouse: William Wardlaw - Children: 2 - Birth place: San Francisco, CA ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### appellate oral argument Scope: courtwide In federal courts of appeals, oral argument is allowed unless a three-judge panel unanimously finds one of Rule 34's specified grounds for dispensing with it; the clerk provides the date, time, place, and time allocation. Evidence excerpt: Oral argument must be allowed in every case unless a panel of three judges who have examined the briefs and record unanimously agrees that oral argument is unnecessary [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1389371) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1389371) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1389371) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3371/kim-mclane-wardlaw/) - [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3371/kim-mclane-wardlaw/) - [Wikidata: Kim McLane Wardlaw](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6409114) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kim-mclane-wardlaw", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kim-mclane-wardlaw", "name": "Kim McLane Wardlaw | KnowJudges", "description": "Kim McLane Wardlaw, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. 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