John W. Holcomb

John William Holcomb (born 1963) is an American lawyer from California who is a nominee to be a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Education

Holcomb earned his Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, and his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

Military service

Holcomb served in the United States Navy from 1980 to 1989, and he was on active duty as a commissioned officer from 1984 to 1989. His service included time as a Surface Warfare Officer aboard the battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62).

Legal career

Upon graduation from law school, Holcomb served as a law clerk to Judge Ronald Barliant of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He operated his own private practice and prior to that was a partner at Knobbe Martens in Riverside and Irvine, California, until 2018, where his practice focused on intellectual property law and litigation. He is currently a partner with Greenberg Gross in Costa Mesa, California, where his practice focuses on intellectual property and bankruptcy litigation.

Nomination to district court

On September 20, 2019, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Holcomb to serve as a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Central District of California. On November 21, 2019, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Holcomb to the seat vacated by Judge Dean Pregerson, who took senior status on January 28, 2016. On January 3, 2020, his nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate. On February 13, 2020, his renomination was sent to the Senate. His nomination is currently pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Memberships

Memberships include:

• Delta Upsilon Fraternity, since 1980
• Chi Epsilon National Civil Engineering Honor Society, since 1984
• Federal Bar Association, since 1999
• Harvard Business School Association of Orange County, since 2000
• The Federalist Society, since 1992.
• Orange County Barristers, 1998-2000
• American Intellectual Property Law Association, 2001-2018
• Harvard Law School Association of Orange County, since 2000
• The Inland Empire Chapter of the Federal Bar Association 2002-2015
• Intellectual Property Owners Association, 2003-2018
• American Association for Justice, since 2003
• American Association for Justice, since 2003
• Coto de Caza Golf and Racquet Club, since 2004
• American Youth Soccer Organizations Referee, 2005-2015
• The Riverside County Bar Association, 2006-2012
• Pro Bono Civil Rights Panel for the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, since 2009
• Local Rules Advisory Committee for the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 2009-2018
• Long Range Planning Committee for the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 2009-2018
• Attorney Admission Fund for the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 2011-2013
• Alternative Dispute Resolution Program for the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, since 2012
• The Trabuco Presbyterian Church, since 2012
• Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel for the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 2012-2018
• Orange County Intellectual Property Law Association, 2012-2018
  
• The Orange County Chapter of Association of Business Trial Lawyers, 2013-2018
• The MIT Club of Southern California, since 2017
• Harvard Business School Club of New York, since 2017