An Imperial Valley native , Ruth Montenegro , has been nominated by President Joe Biden to fill a vacancy on the San Diego federal court bench.

The Honorable Ruth Bermudez Montenegro of El Centro has served as a federal Magistrate in El Centro since 2018. Prior to that she served as a Superior Court Judge in Imperial County and as a family support commissioner. On Wednesday , San Diego Superior Court Judge Jinsook Ohta  and U. S. Magistrate Judge Linda Lopez of San Diego , who were nominated for the Southern District of California  by President Biden in September , appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee. That committee will now vote on whether to forward the nominations to the full Senate for confirmation. The date for the Judiciary Committee hearing for Montenegro has not yet been set.