James Edward Simmons Jr. was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on March 9, 2023. Previously, he served as a trial judge on the California Superior Court, a role he had since 2017. He also serves as the Supervising Judge of the North County branch of the San Diego Superior Court. Simmons received his J.D from Golden Gate University School of Law in 2004 and B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley in 2001.