A U.S. Justice Department official and an East Bay judge have been nominated by President Obama to the U.S. District Court for Northern California.
The nominations of William Orrick III, now a deputy assistant attorney general, and Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jon Tigar were announced by the White House Monday.
The two nominees must be approved by the U.S. Senate in order to take office.
Orrick, 59, who heads the immigration litigation unit of the Justice Department's civil division, would replace U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco. Breyer assumed senior, or semi-retired, status at the end of 2011.
Orrick is the son of the late U.S. District Judge William Orrick Jr. of San Francisco, who served on the federal bench from 1974 until his death in 2003.
Before joining the Justice Department in 2009, Orrick worked for a private law firm in San Francisco for 25 years.
Tigar, 49, was appointed to Alameda County Superior Court by Gov. Gray Davis in 2002.
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If confirmed to the federal court post by the Senate, he would replace U.S. District Judge Saundra Armstrong of Oakland, who took senior status in March. Tigar previously worked for a private law firm and for one year as a public defender in San Francisco.
Obama said in a statement, "I am honored to put forward these highly qualified candidates for the federal bench.
"They will be distinguished public servants and valuable additions to the U.S. District Court," he said.
The Northern California federal court district includes the Bay Area and coastal California from Monterey County to the Oregon border.
