George Wu

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Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Central District of California

Tenure

2007 - Present

Years in position

Education

Bachelor's

Pomona College, 1972

Law

University of Chicago Law School, 1975

Personal

Birthplace

New York, N.Y.

Contact

Official website

## Contents

* 1 Early life and education
* 2 Professional career
* 3 Judicial career
* 3.1 Central District of California
* 4 Noteworthy cases
* 4.1 MySpace suicide case (2009)
* 5 See also
* 6 External links
* 7 Footnotes

George Wu (b.1950) is a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He joined the court in 2007 after being nominated by President George W. Bush.[1]

## Early life and education[edit]

Wu graduated from Pomona College with his bachelor's degree in 1972 and later graduated from University of Chicago Law School with his J.D. degree in 1975.

## Professional career[edit]

* Private practice, Los Angeles, California, 1975-1976, 1977-1979, 1989-1991
* Law clerk, Hon. Stanley N. Barnes, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 1976-1977, 1979
* Assistant professor of law, University of Tennessee College of Law, 1979-1982
* Assistant U.S. attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, 1982-1989, 1991-1993
* Judge, Los Angeles Municipal Court, California, 1993-1996
* Judge, Los Angeles Superior Court, California, 1996-2007

## Judicial career[edit]

### Central District of California[edit]

Judge Wu was nominated by President George W. Bush on January 9, 2007 to a seat vacated by Ronald Lew. Wu was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 27, 2007, and received commission on April 17, 2007.

## Noteworthy cases[edit]

### MySpace suicide case (2009)

See also: U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (USA v. Lori Drew, 2:08-cr-00582-GW-1)

Judge Wu was the presiding judge in the case of a Missouri woman who was convicted of computer fraud charges stemming from an Internet hoax that prompted a teenage girl to commit suicide. On July 2, 2009, Judge Wu decided to tentatively acquit Lori Drew, who was convicted in November of 2008. The decision reversed a jury's verdicts which convicted the woman of computer fraud charges.[2]

The case received a lot of national attention and created an uproar on the issue of internet security.[2]

On August 28, 2009, Judge Wu officially reversed the conviction of Lori Drew. The judge found that The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act was not applied beyond a reasonable doubt in convicting Drew of a misdemeanor. Wu said that the federal law that governs terms and conditions of visiting a website is "constitutionally vague".[3]

Almost three months later, federal prosecutors said they would not appeal Judge Wu's dismissal of charges against Drew.[4]

## See also[edit]

* United States District Court for the Central District of California

## External links[edit]

* Biography of George Wu from the Federal Judicial Center
* George Wu Confirmed to Federal Bench (dead link), APABA, March 29, 2007

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Biography of George Wu-Federal Judicial Center
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "ChinaNet" Federal judge acquits Missouri woman charged with computer fraud, July 2, 2009
3. ↑ "Wall Street Journal" Judge Officially Reverses Lori Drew’s Conviction, August 31, 2009
4. ↑ "San Jose Mercury News" No appeal of dismissed conviction in MySpace case, November 20, 2009 (dead link)

Political offices

Preceded by
\-  |  United States District Court for the Central District of California
2007-Present | Succeeded by

v • e

Federal judges who have served the United States District Court for the Central District of California

|

Active judges|

Chief Judge: Philip Gutierrez • John Walter • Otis Wright • George Wu • Percy Anderson • Cormac Carney • David Carter (California) • Dale Fischer • Robert Klausner • Stephen V. Wilson • Fernando Olguin • Dolly Gee • Stanley Blumenfeld • John A. Kronstadt • Josephine Staton • Michael Fitzgerald (California) • Jesus Bernal • André Birotte, Jr. • Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong • Fernando Aenlle-Rocha • Mark Scarsi • John Holcomb (California)

Senior judges|

James Selna • Dean Pregerson • Valerie Baker Fairbank • Terry Hatter • William Duffy Keller • Virginia Phillips • Ronald Lew • Consuelo Marshall • S. James Otero • Christina Snyder •

Magistrate judges|  Charles F. Eick • Paul Abrams • Jacqueline Chooljian • Alicia Rosenberg • Sheri Pym • John McDermott (California) • Jean Rosenbluth • Michael Wilner • Douglas McCormick • Alka Sagar • Kenly Kiya Kato • Louise A. LaMothe • Steve Kim (California) • Karen Stevenson • Karen Scott • John Early • Alexander MacKinnon • Rozella Oliver • Gail Standish • Maria Audero • Pedro Castillo • Shashi Kewalramani • Autumn Spaeth • Margo Rocconi • Patricia Donahue •
Former Article III judges|

Gilbert Jertberg • Carlos Moreno • Kim McLane Wardlaw • Alicemarie Stotler • Audrey Collins • Florence-Marie Cooper • Gary Feess • Andrew Guilford • Robert Kelleher • Stephen Larson • Spencer Letts • Howard Matz • Mariana Pfaelzer • Manuel Real • George Schiavelli • Robert Takasugi • Harry Pregerson • Pamela Rymer • Richard Paez • Warren Ferguson • Cynthia Holcomb Hall • Ferdinand Francis Fernandez • Leon Rene Yankwich • Albert Lee Stephens, Jr. • Margaret Morrow • Lourdes Baird • Robert Bonner • William Byrne, Jr. • William Byrne, Sr. • Charles Carr • Thurmond Clarke • Elisha Crary • Jesse Curtis • John Davies • Robert Firth • Richard Gadbois • William Gray (California) • Peirson Hall • Andrew Hauk • Irving Hill • Harry Hupp • James Ideman • David Kenyon • Malcolm Lucas • Lawrence Lydick • Linda McLaughlin • Edward Rafeedie • William Rea • Gary L. Taylor • Dickran Tevrizian • Laughlin Waters • Francis Whelan • David Williams (California) • Jacqueline Nguyen • Beverly Reid O'Connell • Atsushi Wallace Tashima •

Former Chief judges|

Alicemarie Stotler • Cormac Carney • Terry Hatter • Virginia Phillips • George King • Consuelo Marshall • Manuel Real • Albert Lee Stephens, Jr. • William Byrne, Jr. • Thurmond Clarke • Andrew Hauk • Irving Hill •

v • e

Federal judges nominated by George W. Bush

|

2001|

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2002|

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2003|

Adams • Altonaga • Bea • Benitez • Bennett • Boyle • Brack • Breen • Browning • Burns • Bybee • Callahan • Campbell • Cardone • Carney • Castel • Chertoff • Cohn • Colloton • Conrad • Coogler • Cook • Cooke • Crone • Der-Yeghiayan • Drell • Duffey • Duncan • Erickson • Feuerstein • Figa • Filip • Fischer • Fisher • Flanagan • Floyd • Frost • Gibson • Greer • Gruender • Guirola • Hall • Hardiman • Hayes • Herrera • Hicks • Holmes • Holwell • Hopkins • Houston • Irizarry • Jones • Junell • Karas • Kravitz • Martinez • McKnight • Minaldi • Montalvo • Mosman • Otero • Pickering • Prado • Pratter • Proctor • Quarles • Robart • Roberts • Robinson • Rodgers • Rodriguez • Sabraw • Sanchez • Saylor • Selna • Sharpe • Simon • Springmann • Stanceu • Steele • Stengel • Suko • Sutton • Sykes • Titus • Townes • Tymkovich • Van Antwerpen • Varlan • Wake • Wesley • White • Woodcock •

Yeakel
2004|

Alvarez • Benton • Boyko • Covington • Diamond • Harwell • Kelley • Schiavelli • Schneider • Starrett • Watson

2005|

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2006|

Besosa • Bumb • Chagares • Cogan • Gelpi • Golden • Gordon • Gorsuch • Guilford • Hillman • Holmes • Ikuta • D. Jordan • K. Jordan • Kavanaugh • Miller • Moore • Shepherd • Sheridan • Smith • Whitney • Wigenton

2007|

Anderson • Aycock • Bailey • Bryant • Davis • DeGiusti • Dow • Elrod • Fairbank • Fischer • Frizzell • Gutierrez • Hall • Hardiman • Haynes • Howard • Jarvey • Jones • Jonker • Kapala • Kays • Laplante • Limbaugh • Lioi • Livingston • Maloney • Mauskopf • Mendez • Miller • Neff • O'Connor • O'Grady • O'Neill • Osteen • Ozerden • Reidinger • Sammartino • Schroeder • Settle • Smith • Snow • Southwick • Suddaby • Sullivan • Thapar • Tinder • Van Bokkelen • Wood • Wright • Wu

2008|

Agee • Anello • Arguello • Brimmer • Gardephe • Goldberg • Jones • Kethledge • Lawrence • Matsumoto • Melgren • Murphy • Scriven • Seibel • Slomsky • Trenga • Waddoups • White

California courts

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Federal courts:

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California

State courts:

California Supreme Court • California Courts of Appeal • California Superior Courts

State resources:

Courts in California • California judicial elections • Judicial selection in California