| Andrew G. Schopler | |
| Office: | Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California |
| Term Start: | March 10, 2023 |
| Appointer: | Joe Biden |
| Predecessor: | Larry Alan Burns |
| Office1: | Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California |
| Term Start1: | September 30, 2016 |
| Term End1: | March 10, 2023 |
| Birth Name: | Andrew George Schopler |
| Birth Place: | Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Education: | Dartmouth College (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
| Branch: | |
| Serviceyears: | 2014–Present |
| Rank: | Major |
| Battles: | Operation Enduring Freedom Operation North Star |
| Unit: | Special Operations Command North |
Andrew George Schopler (born 1971)[1] is an American lawyer who serves as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. He served as a United States Magistrate Judge of the same court from 2016 to 2023.
Schopler received a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from Dartmouth College in 1994 and he received a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1997.[2]
Schopler was a solo practitioner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, from 1997 to 1998. In 1998, Schopler became an assistant public defender for district 15B in North Carolina. He returned to private practice that same year. Schopler was named to the North Carolina Capital Roster for capital murder cases.[3] From 1998 to 2004, he worked at Rudolf and Maher in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. From 2004 to 2016, he was an assistant United States attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California.
Schopler has served in the California Army National Guard since 2014, holding the rank of major.[4] In 2018, he deployed to Afghanistan as part of his duties as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer for Special Operations Command North (SOCNORTH), a Green Beret unit. During this deployment, he worked on special operations across Afghanistan and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his service.
Beginning in 2021, Schopler was involved in Operation North Star, aiding in the evacuation of U.S. citizens and at-risk Afghan allies from Afghanistan. His military commendations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster), National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal (with Bronze Star Device), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal (with "M" Device), Army Service Ribbon, Non-Article 5 NATO Medal, California State Service Ribbon, and the Parachutist Badge.
Schopler served as United States Magistrate Judge of the Southern District of California from September 30, 2016 to March 10, 2023.[5] [6]
On July 14, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Schopler to serve as a United States District Judge of the same court. His nomination received the support of Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein.[7] President Biden nominated Schopler to the seat vacated by Judge Larry Alan Burns, who assumed senior status on January 22, 2021.[8] On December 13, 2022, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[9] On January 3, 2023, his nomination was returned to the president under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate. He was renominated on January 23, 2023.[10] On February 9, 2023, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 15–6 vote.[11] On March 7, 2023, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 57–39 vote.[12] His nomination was confirmed later that day by a 56–39 vote.[13] He received his judicial commission on March 10, 2023.