J. Michael Diaz

J. Michael Diaz was appointed to the King County Superior Court in December 2017 by Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, effective January 22, 2018.^[1] Governor Inslee stated "Michael's commitment to civil rights through his outstanding legal career and community involvement will make him an excellent addition to the bench. His unique experiences have prepared him to understand some of the challenges facing individuals in the courtroom."

Early life and education

Diaz immigrated from Peru to Seattle as an infant. His family spoke Spanish exclusively at home. He was the first and remains the only lawyer in his large Latino family.

In 1996 Diaz received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Philosophy, magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame. He then was a graduate student at Princeton University, studying classical philosophy for two years. Diaz received his law degree (JD) from Cornell Law School in 2002, where he was a member of the Cornell International Law Journal.

Career and awards

From 2002 to 2006, Diaz was an associate in the Houston office of the international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski LLP (now Norton Rose Fulbright), litigating complex commercial and white collar criminal matters. Diaz then returned home and joined the litigation boutique firm of Yarmuth Wilsdon Calfo (now Yarmuth Wilsdon PLLC), litigating the same types of cases. Diaz was an Assistant United States Attorney of the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington from 2008 to 2018, where he founded the office's Civil Rights Program in 2011. In that capacity, he investigated and/or prosecuted a wide variety of civil rights matters, from "classic" civil rights cases such as housing, employment and educational matters to more "modern" matters, such as disability rights, service members' rights, and rights violated by police misconduct. He was the lead line attorney on the United States v. City of Seattle (Seattle PD) consent decree matter from its inception in 2010 until the SPD was found in full and effective compliance.

Diaz was regularly on faculty between 2012 and 2017 at the Department of Justice's National Advocacy (Training) Center, lecturing on civil rights enforcement. As an attorney, Diaz regularly volunteered at the King County Bar Association's Neighborhood Legal Clinic Program's Spanish Language Legal Clinic, which he later helped merge with the El Centro de La Raza clinic. He served on KCBA's Pro Bono Service Committee, was Chair of its Neighborhood Legal Clinic Program's Advisory Committee, and Chair of its Spanish Clinic Subcommittee.

Among the honors he received while at Department of Justice, Diaz was awarded the EOUSA Director's Award for "extraordinary professional achievements and excellence" in 2014. He also received the Thomas C. Wales Performance Award, the highest award given at the U.S. Attorney's Office; he also received the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Division's Distinguished Service Award, both in 2012.

Federal judicial nomination

In 2016, President Obama nominated Diaz to be a U.S. District Court judge for the Western District of Washington.^[2] President Obama commented on the nomination, stating, "I am honored to put forward [this] highly qualified candidate for the federal bench ... [He] will be a distinguished public servant and valuable addition to the United States District Court."

The American Bar Association rated Diaz Unanimously Qualified for the nomination.

The nomination was returned to the President in January 2017, at the end of the 114th Congress, without Senate action.

References

• https://www.courts.wa.gov/?fa=home.sub&org=mjc&page=bioMDiaz&layout=2