Richard G. Seeborg

Richard Gus Seeborg (born November 4, 1956) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a U.S. district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. He was appointed in 2010 by President Barack Obama, and he served as chief judge of the court from 2021 to 2026. Seeborg was a United States magistrate judge in the same district prior to his appointment.

Early life and education

Seeborg was born in 1956 in Landstuhl town, Kaiserslautern district, Rhineland-Palatinate state, Germany.

Seeborg received a Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude with a major in history from Yale University in May 1978 and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 1981.

From 1981 to 1982, Seeborg served as a law clerk to Judge John H. Pratt of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Career

In 1982, Seeborg joined the San Francisco law firm of Morrison & Foerster as an associate. On October 15, 2009, the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary voted to send Seeborg's nomination to the full Senate. The Senate confirmed Seeborg by unanimous consent on December 24, 2009. He received his commission on January 4, 2010.

Notable rulings

On March 6, 2019, Seeborg ruled that United States Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross could not add a question about citizenship to the 2020 United States Census.

On April 8, 2019, Seeborg ruled that non-Mexican asylum seekers did not have to stay in Mexico while awaiting their court proceedings.

Personal

Seeborg resides in San Francisco, California.