CA Bar #: 230304 (April 2004)
Appointed By: Pres. Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
The Hon. Daniel J. Calabretta is a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California. Calabretta was nominated to the bench by President Joe Biden on August 1, 2022, filling a seat vacated by the Hon. John A. Mendez. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 16, 2023.
In addition to his judicial duties, Calabretta has taught Direct Democracy in California at the University of California, Davis School of Law, and Juvenile Dependency at the California Center for Judicial Education and Research.
Prior to his appointment, Calabretta was a judge in the Juvenile Division of the Sacramento County Superior Court, a position to which he was named by former Governor Jerry Brown in 2018. Before that, he spent six years as the deputy legal affairs secretary for the California Office of the Governor, advising the office on ethics and financial reporting obligations under the California Fair Political Practices Act (2013 to 2019).
Calabretta earned a B.A. from Princeton University in 2000. He then completed a J.D. at the University of Chicago Law School in 2003. As a law student, he was the editor for the University of Chicago Law Review.
After graduating from law school, Calabretta began his legal career as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. William A. Fletcher of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He served in that capacity until 2004, at which time he started clerking with the Hon. John Paul Stevens of the United States Supreme Court.
Then, in 2005, Calabretta entered into private practice, working as an associate at Munger, Tolles & Olson in Los Angeles. He remained with the firm for three years, representing telecommunications companies and other law firms. He eventually left the firm to become a deputy attorney general with the Government Law Section of the California Department of Justice. In that capacity, he was tasked with defending state law in constitutional challenges brought against the Attorney General.
His memberships have included the California Child Welfare Council. He has also been involved with the Sacramento County Mental Health Services Act Steering Committee and the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council Subcommittee.
Born in Union City, Tennessee, Calabretta was raised in New Jersey. He and his husband, Jonathan McClean, reside in Sacramento. Calabretta holds the distinction of being the first openly gay man appointed to the Sacramento County Superior Court.
He is registered as a Democrat.
| Current Appointment U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, Department - Courtroom 10 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, Department - Courtroom 10 |
| Previous Appointment Sacramento County Superior Court | Sacramento County Superior Court |
|
Education
J.D., University of Chicago Law School - 2003 B.A., Princeton University - 2000 |
J.D., University of Chicago Law School - 2003 B.A., Princeton University - 2000 |
| Official Website www.caed.uscourts.gov | www.caed.uscourts.gov |
| Current Court: | CA - U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California |
|---|---|
| Previous Court: | CA - Sacramento County Superior Court U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, Department - Courtroom 10 |
| Clerk phone: | +1 (916) 930-4115 |
| Courtroom Deputy: | +1 (916) 930-4114 |
| Role | Employer | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Judicial Law Clerk Clerk | United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | None |
| Judicial Law Clerk Clerk | United States Supreme Court | Washington, D.C. |
| Associate | Munger, Tolles & Olson | Los Angeles County, California |
| Deputy Attorney General | California Office of the Attorney General | None |
| Deputy Legal Affairs Secretary | California Office of the Governor | Sacramento County, California |
| Judge | Superior Court of California | Sacramento County, California |
| Judge | United States District Court for the Eastern District of California | Sacramento County, California |
Ballotpedia: Daniel Calabretta
The Recorder: Governor Once Again Taps Staff, Big Law Alumni for California Bench
The University of Chicago: Daniel J. Calabretta, '03: Appointed to a Judgeship in the Sacramento County Superior Court
Alliance for Justice: Judge Daniel Calabretta
Sacramento County Superior Court: Senate Confirms Judge Daniel J. Calabretta for Federal Judgeship in Eastern District of California
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