Know Your Judge: Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers

This week in Know Your Judge, we feature Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Rogers was nominated by President Barack Obama in 2011. Prior to joining the federal bench, Rogers served as a state judge in California Superior Court from 2008 to 2011.

In one of her most recent rulings involving employment law, Rogers rejected Tata Consulting Services’ efforts to limit the potential relief workers could get if a jury sides with them during an upcoming trial. In their lawsuit, the workers accuse the Indian IT services firm of discriminating against Americans and other non-South Asian workers.

Rogers also is presiding over a case accusing Uber Technologies Inc. of paying thousands of drivers less than they were entitled to. Earlier this year, Rogers sided with the drivers on the liability issue, holding that Uber violated federal law. The case is likely to go to trial to determine how much the drivers are owed.

Numbers & Statistics

Rogers’ rulings on motions to dismiss in employee benefits cases are equally divided. In employment law cases, she has granted dismissal requests 40 percent of the time, while denying such motions nearly a quarter of the time.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the appeals court that reviews decisions from district courts in California and other Western states, usually affirms Rogers’ rulings on employment and benefits cases.

Looking for more analytics on judges? Check back each Wednesday for our Know Your Judge feature or try Bloomberg Law’s Litigation Analytics. And contact us if there’s a judge you want us to highlight.