Northern District (San Francisco)
Career Highlights: Retired September 2018. Appointed U.S. magistrate judge by the Northern District judges, 1994; chief magistrate judge, 2009-12; family law commissioner, San Francisco County Superior Court, 1989-94; civil discovery and civil law and motion commissioner, San Francisco County Superior Court, 1988-89; attorney, San Francisco city attorney's office, 1984-88; staff attorney, National Labor Relations Board, 1983-84; deputy public defender, San Francisco County, 1979-83; director, Small Claims Court Education Project, San Francisco city attorney's office, 1978-79
Law School: U of San Francisco School of Law
ADR Services Inc.
Career Highlights: Retired September 2018. Appointed U.S. magistrate judge by the Northern District judges, 1994; chief magistrate judge, 2009-12; family law commissioner, San Francisco County Superior Court, 1989-94; civil discovery and civil law and motion commissioner, San Francisco County Superior Court, 1988-89; attorney, San Francisco city attorney's office, 1984-88; staff attorney, National Labor Relations Board, 1983-84; deputy public defender, San Francisco County, 1979-83; director, Small Claims Court Education Project, San Francisco city attorney's office, 1978-79
Law School: U of San Francisco School of Law
ADR Services Inc.
SAN FRANCISCO — U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria-Elena James has a unique talent for seeing the world through the eyes of other people, especially those who have been marginalized from society.
“Everybody knows if there’s a human issue, we send it to Maria,” a co-worker once told her.
This sentiment has been echoed throughout her career. Eventually, cases involving mental health issues or co... (continued)
