Birotte appointed to federal court bench

President Barack Obama today nominated U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr. to be a judge on the U.S. District Court. Before he became the chief federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, Birotte was a Los Angeles County deputy public defender and the LAPD's inspector general. He would replace Judge Gary Allen Feess, who is retiring. Sen. Dianne Feinstein recommended Birotte. "I have been very impressed with his performance over the last four years. He has a record of excellence and fairness,” she said in a statement. “I am confident he will serve the people of the Central District very well as a U.S. district judge.”