Judge Donato is a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California, with chambers in the San Francisco courthouse. He is a member of the Northern District’s Local Rules Committee and Patent Pilot Program. Judge Donato is also the Liaison Judge for the district’s Standing Committee on Professional Conduct. Judge Donato was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2014. He holds a B.A. in history from the University of California, Berkeley, an A.M. in history from Harvard University, and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. He clerked for the Hon. Procter R. Hug, Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Judge Donato was in private practice for over 20 years before taking the bench. He has been admitted to practice in California and Hawaii.