INTERVIEW WITH UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE TROY L. NUNLEY

Interview Conducted by Christina McCall^*

Troy L. Nunley has served as a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of California since he was appointed in 2013. At his confirmation hearing, Senator Dianne Feinstein said, "He will bring a lifetime of overcoming adversity, an impressive work ethic, a career as a prosecutor, 10 years of judicial experience, and sorely needed judicial resources to the federal bench in the Eastern District." Before joining the federal bench, he was a Sacramento County Superior Court Judge between 2002 and 2013, after having served as a Deputy Attorney General for the California Attorney General’s Office for three years, a prosecutor in Sacramento and Alameda Counties for a total of six years, and private practice for two years. Judge Nunley earned his law degree from U.C. Hastings College of the Law and his undergraduate degree from St. Mary’s College of California.

In this interview (edited for brevity and clarity), Judge Nunley shares lessons he learned from many different role models, meaningful mementos in his chambers, his suggestions for addressing the judicial emergency in the district, and how he spends some of his time outside of work.

HOW WAS YOUR MOTHER A ROLE MODEL FOR YOU?