Bio
Judge Rita F. Lin is a U.S. District Judge in the Northern District of California. Prior to her appointment to the federal bench, she served as a Superior Court Judge in San Francisco for five years. She presided over felony trials involving charges ranging from murder to rape to child sexual abuse, as well as a variety of criminal calendars, including mental health court and preliminary hearings. Before becoming a judge, Judge Lin was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of California in the Criminal Division. She investigated and prosecuted public corruption, illegal opioid prescriptions, organized crime, money laundering, and narcotics trafficking, among other crimes. Before that, she was a litigation partner at Morrison and Foerster, where she practiced complex commercial litigation principally involving class actions and intellectual property, and maintained an active pro bono caseload. In 2012, the Daily Journal named her one of the Top 100 Women Lawyers in California, and in 2017, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association named her one of the Best Lawyers Under 40. Judge Lin began her career as a law clerk for Judge Sandra Lynch on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Judge Lin is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.