From 1981 to 1988, he served as a deputy public defender in the Santa Clara County Public Defender's Office and later in private practice at the law firm of Davila & Polverino from 1988 to 2001.[1]
While a superior court judge, Davila presided over the high-profile case of a Las Vegas couple,[5]Anna Ayala and Jaime Placencia, who planted a severed human finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili.[6] On January 18, 2006, Davila sentenced Ayala to nine years in prison and Placencia to 12 years and 4 months in prison.[6] However, the Sixth District California Court of Appeal ordered Davila to resentence Ayala in 2007 on the grounds that Davila improperly added years to the sentence based on extenuating circumstances without a jury's findings.[7] Davila subsequently modified the sentence to four years in 2008.[8]
Federal judicial service
During the 111th Congress, Senator Barbara Boxer recommended Davila to fill the United States District Court for the Northern District of California vacancy created by Judge Marilyn Hall Patel, who assumed senior status.[9][10] On May 20, 2010, President Barack Obama formally nominated Davila to the Northern District of California.[1] The Senate Judiciary Committee recommended his confirmation on December 1, 2010, but the Senate decided to recess without confirming him.[10][11][12] Obama renominated Davila on January 5, 2011.[12][13] That nomination was approved by the Judiciary Committee on February 3, and he was confirmed by the Senate on February 14, 2011, by a 93–0 vote.[14] He received his commission on March 3, 2011. He assumed senior status on December 11, 2024, when his successor was confirmed.[2]
Davila presided over the criminal trial of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes and COO Sunny Balwani.[15][16] Holmes was found guilty on four counts on fraud in January 2022 and sentenced to 11.25 years (135 months) in prison on November 18, 2022,[17] while Balwani was convicted of 12 counts of fraud in July 2022 and sentenced to nearly 13 years (155 months) in prison on December 7, 2022.[16]
^ abPresidential Nomination no. PN1813-111[permanent dead link], Edward J. Davila, of California, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of California, vice Marilyn Hall Patel, retired, May 20, 2010 (111th Congress)
^Presidential Nomination no. PN21-112Archived December 19, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Edward J. Davila, of California, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of California, vice Marilyn Hall Patel, retired, January 5, 2011 (112th Congress)
