- Judge Thurston was confirmed by the Senate on December 17th, 2021. From 2007 to 2009, she was a judge pro tem for the Kern County Superior Court in California, and served as a federal magistrate judge in the Eastern District of California from 2009 to 2021. From 1998 to 2009, Thurston was Deputy County Counsel for Kern County.
- Judge Thurston served as Editor of the Federal Magistrate Judges’ Association electronic newsletter, The Bulletin, and is a former board member, Treasurer, and Vice President of the Kern County Bar Association.
- Upon confirmation, Judge Thurston became only the second woman to serve as an active district judge in the Eastern District of California.
- Judge Thurston received her B.S. from CSU Bakersfield in 1989, and her J.D. from the California Pacific School of Law in 1997. She received a Master of Laws from Duke University in 2018.
Confirmed