--- title: "Salvador Mendoza Jr. | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/salvador-mendoza-jr" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Salvador Mendoza Jr. 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, District Court, E.D. Washington, 2014-present - U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington — Judge from June 19, 2014, to September 16, 2022, appointed by President Barack Obama - Judge, Superior Court of the State of Washington, Benton and Franklin Counties, 2013-2014 - Judge pro tem, District Court of the State of Washington, Benton County, 2006-2013 - Judge pro tem, Pasco Washington Municipal Court, 2002-2013 - Judge pro tem, Juvenile Division, Superior Court of the State of Washington, Benton and Franklin Counties, 2002-2013 - Judge pro tem, District Court of the State of Washington, Franklin County, 2002-2013 - Judge pro tempore in various Washington state district, municipal, and juvenile courts from 2002–2013 - Private practice in criminal law (solo practitioner and firm president), 1999–2013 - Deputy prosecutor, Franklin County, WA, 1998-1999 - Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Franklin County, WA, 1998–1999 - Assistant attorney general, State of Washington, 1997-1998 - Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit - Notable: First Latino judge from Washington state to serve on the Ninth Circuit - Mendoza’s appointment marked a milestone as the first Latino judge from Washington on the Ninth Circuit - His career spans public service, private practice, and judicial roles at both state and federal levels, with a focus on criminal law and access to justice ### Education - University of California, Los Angeles School of Law — J.D. (1997) - in Philosophy, University of Washington — B.A. (1994) ### Additional information - Confirmed by Senate: September 12, 2022 - Private practice, Kennewick, WA, 1999-2013 - Born in 1971 in Pacoima, California, to parents who immigrated from Mexico, Mendoza grew up in Washington’s Yakima Valley and Mid-Columbia region. - Date of birth: 1971-01-01 - Preceded by: M. Margaret McKeown (took senior status) - He worked on farms as a teen, attended school through the Washington State Migrant Education Program, and later interned with the United Farm Workers of America. - Also held the role of board member of Benton-Franklin Legal Aid Society and helped establish juvenile drug courts. - Birth place: Pacoima, 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/1394566) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394566) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394566) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2218/salvador-mendoza-jr/) - [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/2218/salvador-mendoza-jr/) - [Wikidata: Salvador Mendoza, Jr.](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16213655) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/salvador-mendoza-jr", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/salvador-mendoza-jr", "name": "Salvador Mendoza Jr. | KnowJudges", "description": "Salvador Mendoza Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. 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