"Known for his independence, Paul Watford is considered a
contender for a U.S. Supreme Court seat." That's the title of today's DJ profile of Judge Watford, appointed to the 9th in 2012. "Jeffrey Toobin placed Watford, 47, on what he called the Supreme Court Farm Team, a step behind the candidate Toobin identified as the frontrunner, Sri Srinivasan of the D.C. Circuit." Thus, speculation that "Watford could be in line to replace his former boss and the court's oldest justice, Ginsburg, 81 ..." Born in Garden Grove, Watford got his J.D. at UCLA and then clerked for Judge Kozinski (three other Kozinski clerks are judges on federal circuits).
The profile notes that he has refused to be interviewed since taking the bench, "a move potentially designed to deny ammunition to opponents in any future rough-and-tumble high court confirmation process." Really? Regardless of refusing press interviews, Judge Watford has not cloistered himself, but has generously participated in various bar events.
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| Judge Watford judging a moot court competition in 2013 with Alex Kozinski and 7th Cir. Judge Diane Wood. |
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