| Virginia A. Phillips | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office November 15, 1999 |
|
| Appointed by | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | William M. Byrne, Jr. |
| Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California | |
| In office 1995–1999 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 14, 1957 Orange, California |
| Spouse(s) | John A. Phillips (1980-1998) (his death) |
| Alma mater | University of California, Riverside (B.A.) University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law (J.D.) |
Virginia A. Phillips (born February 14, 1957) is a judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
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Born (as Virginia Ettinger)[1] and raised in Orange, California,[2] Phillips received a B.A. from the University of California, Riverside, in 1979 and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law in 1982. She was in private practice in Riverside, California, from 1982 to 1991. She was a Commissioner for the Riverside County Superior Court from 1991 to 1995.
In 1995, Phillips became a United States magistrate judge for the Central District of California. On January 26, 1999, Phillips was nominated by President Bill Clinton to be a district judge for the Central District, a seat vacated by William M. Byrne, Jr. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 10, 1999, and received her commission on November 15, 1999.
On September 9, 2010, Phillips ruled that the U.S. Department of Defense's "don't ask, don't tell" policy is unconstitutional in the case Log Cabin Republicans v. United States of America.[3] On October 12, Phillips issued a permanent worldwide injunction ordering the military to immediately "suspend and discontinue any investigation, or discharge, separation, or other proceeding, that may have been commenced" under "don't ask, don't tell".[4][5] The Ninth Circuit stayed the injunction pending appeal[6] but on July 6, 2011, lifted the stay.[7] On September 29, 2011, the Ninth Circuit vacated the district court's decision, ruling that the legislative repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" had rendered the case moot.[8][9]