U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller Will Hear Case against Sacramento School Closings

Kimberly Jo Mueller was born on September 17, 1957 in Newton, KS. She graduated with a B.A. from Pomona College and earned her J.D. from Stanford University.

Mueller was a legislative aide for California State Assembly member Lloyd Connelly. From 1987 to 1992, she served on the Sacramento City Council. While working for the council, Mueller was nominated to serve as Vice-Mayor and chair of the city's budget committee. She played a pivotal role with then-Mayor Anne Rudin, who introduced campaign finance reform to the city's politics.


In 1992, Mueller left her position on the Sacramento City Council to attend Stanford Law School. After she graduated, she joined a law firm. Mueller later began her own private practice.

She was nominated as a federal magistrate judge of the Sacramento Division of United States District Court for the Eastern District of California in 2003. Mueller became the second woman to hold this position since the Eastern District was started in 1966. She is currently an adjunct professor at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.

On March 10, 2010, Mueller was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as a U.S. federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. On December 16, 2010, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed her nomination. On December 21, 2010, Mueller received her commission.

According to The Sacramento Bee editorial, "Federal judge will hear case against Sacramento school closures," on Wednesday, July 3, 2013, U.S. District Judge Mueller permitted a July 11 hearing regarding a "lawsuit seeking to block closure of seven elementary schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District." The judge issued an order, which will permit limited testimony from a plaintiffs' expert witness.

The AP article stated that Jesus Hernandez, who holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of California, Davis, will be the expert called to testify. According to the lawyer for the plaintiff, Mark Merin, Mueller's order means Hernandez can "explain the basis for his opinion and conclusions that this is a case of intentional discrimination against poor and minority communities in favor of white communities."

The AP column noted that the families, whose schools are planning to close, filed a lawsuit in June 2013. The suit claims that the district chose schools in low-income neighborhoods where individuals have little or no political influence. The defendants include the four trustees who support shutting down the schools - members Jay Hansen and Darrel Woo, Vice President Patrick Kennedy and President Jeff Cuneo. Superintendent Jonathan Raymond is also a defendant involved in the suit.

The AP editorial pointed out that district officials decided schools for closure based on the amount of capacity that each elementary school used. The district officials believe their decision to shut the schools down would save money. The district released a statement on Wednesday, which acknowledged that Mueller permitted the school district's request "for an opportunity to challenge the propriety of (Hernandez's) qualifications and testimony. SCUSD will continue its rigorous defense of this baseless and unsubstantiated lawsuit that, unfortunately, comes at a time when steadily declining enrollment is triggering steadily shrinking revenues."

The AP article said that plaintiffs are seeking a preliminary injunction on the July 11 hearing. The injunction would block the closures until both sides can reach an agreement or if the case is resolved.

Merin told The Sacramento Bee, "I'm pleased she [Mueller] has put this on an accelerated schedule, recognizing the importance of making a decision quickly."

The AP column reported that the trustees considered closing eleven schools earlier this year. However, they decided to reduce the number to seven closings after getting feedback from the community.

The AP editorial said the lawsuit challenges that the closures will require approximately 2,300 students from Clayton B. Wire, Mark Hopkins, Joseph Bonnheim, Fruit Ridge, Collis P. Huntington, Maple and Washington elementary schools to travel a greater distance to campuses that may lack appropriate support programs, especially for students with special-needs.