Moxila A. Upadhyaya

Moxila A. Upadhyaya is a United States magistrate judge. Before becoming a magistrate judge in September 2022, she was a partner at the law firm Venable LLP.

As a magistrate judge, Upadhyaya has presided over preliminary and limited matters for cases, including the arraignment in the federal prosecution of Donald Trump related to the 2020 election.

Early life and education Born in Gujarat, India, Moxila A. Upadhyaya was raised near Kansas City, Missouri. She studied at the University of Missouri and was awarded a Juris Doctor by American University Washington College of Law in 2003.

Career After graduating, she clerked for Eric Washington the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, awarded Upadhyaya their Defender of Innocence Award. Upadhyaya was a clerk for Robert Wilkins in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in 2011. At the arraignment, Upadhyaya received the plea from Trump in response to the charges, set a schedule for pre-trial motions and discovery and set the terms of bail which did not include any cash bond or travel restrictions. At the hearing, Upadhyaya warned Trump against influencing witnesses through direct discussion or intimidation.