Judge Janis L. Sammartino, ’75 J.D. Devoting Time to Establishing a Learning Center for Her District

Judge Sammartino has been on the federal bench for the Southern District of California since 2007, having been nominated by President George W. Bush. Judge Sammartino has the distinction of being ranked 8th among federal judges nationwide in handling the most new patent cases in 2013. Judge Sammartino has always enjoyed learning about new areas of the law, but admits that with patent law, she found that the learning curve was huge. Yet it is the importance of education that was emphasized in her family from an early age combined with her love of learning about the law that has given Sammartino a new “labor of love.” She is devoting much of her time to establishing a learning center for the Southern District which will include self-guided tours of the Edward J. Schwarz U.S. Courthouse, a new court annex and the Jacob Weinberger U.S. Courthouse. There will be educational exhibits, including the California 1947 case, Mendez v. Westminster, which preceded the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954. Judge Sammartino states, “If we could educate people more about the courts and the role of judges, and civics in general, it’s the backbone of our democracy and strengthens us all.” Broderick, Pat. “Laborer of Love.” Los Angeles Daily Journal 15 Oct. 2014, Vol. 127 No. 200 ed., Litigation sec.: 2. Print. (Subscription required)