California State University, Bakersfield alumna Jennifer Thurston hasn’t had much downtime during her service this past year as a U.S. federal district court judge for the Eastern District of California.
Thurston — who was nominated by President Joe Biden, confirmed by the U.S. Senate and sworn into office in December 2021 — has a heavy load of criminal and civil cases that she has to manage.
Thurston is one of only two district judges in the Fresno division. The Eastern District, as a whole, has fewer judges than the other three districts despite having jurisdiction over most of the state.
“Our district is very busy. We’ve had a huge number of trials,” she said. “It’s overwhelming how much work there is.”
After Judge Thurston first arrived on the bench at the Fresno division — becoming the second woman to serve as a district judge in the Eastern District — she hoped to be able to catch up on a backlog of motions in the district that had been pending for over a year.
Thurston said there were 120 motions that needed to be readied for decision when she joined the bench. She completed 80 motions within her first six months. However, by that time, there were another 140 pending.
“It’s just a constant, never-ending wave,” she said. “I’ve heard people say it’s like drinking from a firehouse, and it truly is.”
Judge Thurston had also thought she would have more time to focus on civil cases but found that criminal matters were taking up most of her time, due in part to a backlog that grew as a result of COVID-19.
Thurston recalled that in one of her first cases, a murder trial was delayed for several months after two lawyers, one of the defendants and several jurors came down with COVID.
“We sat six jurors as alternates, and by the end of deliberation, we had used all of the alternates. It was just a crazy long trial,” she said.
The long hours have also made it challenging for Thurston to balance work and personal time. However, she and her family are used to the rigorous work schedule, as Thurston served as a magistrate judge for 12 years prior to becoming a district judge.
In that office, Thurston presided over federal pre-trial cases as well as non-felony criminal and civil cases.
One thing that has helped her, both as a magistrate judge and in her new position, is that Thurston is able to do some of her work from home, allowing her to take more breaks and spend more time with family.
“I do think it’s really important to carve out time for doing the things you need to do to be able to keep going. This is the kind of job that can completely eat you up if you’re not careful,” she said. “If you can’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anyone else.”
Thurston’s hard work and sacrifices are being recognized by CSUB next month. She and three other alumni — Bakersfield College Chair of Performing Arts Kris Tiner, Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer and Kern Family Health CEO Emily Duran — are being inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame and will be honored during a March 3 event in the Doré Theatre.
“I think of Bakersfield as my home, so to be recognized for being a part of the community is really important to me,” Thurston said. “The level of education that you get at CSUB is amazing. I went there when it was still a state college, and my mom graduated years before me. My husband and sister went there too. I’m very happy to have my little piece of history.”
Thurston’s efforts also haven’t gone unnoticed by Chief U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller.
“As we knew she would, Judge Thurston has hit the ground running in her first year and proven an indispensable member of the Eastern District of California’s Article III bench,” she said. “She assumed a staggeringly high number of cases, reflective of our district’s heavy workload, and has presided over her criminal and civil matters with excellence, diligence and grace. The court and the community are fortunate beneficiaries of Judge Thurston’s dedication to meaningful public service as a member of our nation’s independent federal judiciary.”