An Indian American judge oversaw the proceedings involving former US President Donald Trump in a federal courthouse situated in downtown Washington DC.
Moxila A Upadhyaya, who became a United States Magistrate Judge on September 7, 2022, was at the helm. Born in Gujarat and raised near Kansas City, Missouri, Upadhyaya earned her Bachelor of Journalism, magna cum laude, from the Missouri School of Journalism, and a Bachelor of Arts, with honours in Latin, from the University of Missouri.
She attained her JD, cum laude, from the American University, Washington College of Law, earning distinction for her representation of clients in the Criminal Justice Clinic and her membership in the Administrative Law Review.
Following law school, Upadhyaya served as a law clerk to Eric T. Washington, former Chief Judge of the DC Court of Appeals, for a two-year term.
Subsequently, she joined Venable LLP’s Washington, DC office, engaging in complex commercial and administrative litigation. In 2011-12, she temporarily left Venable to become the first law clerk to Robert L. Wilkins (now the US Circuit Judge for the DC Circuit) during his tenure as a district judge.
After her clerkship with Judge Wilkins, Upadhyaya rejoined Venable and continued her litigation practice until her judicial appointment.
During her tenure as an associate and later as a partner at Venable, Upadhyaya dedicated her pro bono efforts to representing indigent clients in post-conviction proceedings. This included advocating for clients who raised concerns under the DC Innocence Protection Act and the DC Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act.
In recognition of her work in this capacity, she received the Defender of Innocence Award from the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project in 2009 and was named Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year by Venable in 2006.
From 2021-22, Judge Upadhyaya served on this court’s Committee on Grievances. She previously co-chaired the DC Bar Litigation Section Steering Committee and held positions on the board of directors for the DC Access to Justice Foundation and Council for Court Excellence. Additionally, she holds the distinction of being a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
