Neetu Badhan Smith is the first Sikh woman judge in the United States.[1] Badhan Smith is a judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Court of California.[2] She was appointed to the bench by former Governor Jerry Brown in 2017.[3][4]

Neetu Badhan Smith
Los Angeles County Superior Court
Assumed office
2017
Personal details
BornSacramento, California, United States

Biography edit

She was born into an immigrant Ravidasia Sikh[5] family in California. Badhan-Smith earned a Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.[3]

Prior to her appointment to the Superior Court, she had served as a deputy public defender at the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office since 2004. She was an attorney at the Southern California Housing Rights Centre from 2003 to 2004.[6]

She is inspired by Indian jurist Dr. Ambedkar and his movement against casteism.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ Jha, Ritu. "Two Indian-American attorneys appointed to Superior Court". IndiaAbroad.com.
  2. ^ "Hate crime charges dropped against man who attacked Filipino family in Hollywood". Yahoo News. April 20, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Governor Brown Appoints Nine to Los Angeles County Superior Court | Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr". www.ca.gov.
  4. ^ "Ex-NFL player and Harvard-Westlake alumnus pleads not guilty to charges of making criminal threats". Los Angeles Times. March 21, 2018.
  5. ^ "Dr. Ambedkar International Symposium on Emancipation and Equality Day celebrations in Vancouver". April 5, 2023.
  6. ^ "Judge Neetu S. Badhan-Smith". Trellis.
  7. ^ Mall, posted by: Rattan (April 5, 2023). "Dr. Ambedkar International Symposium on Emancipation and Equality Day celebrations in Vancouver".