Gonzalo Curiel

Bio:
Gonzalo Curiel (born Gonzalo Paul Curiel in East Chicago, Indiana in 1953) is a United States District Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. After serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California from 2002 to 2006, Gonzalo was appointed to the San Diego Superior Court by California Governor, Arnold Schwarzeneggar. In 2011, President Obama nominated the judge to the U.S. District Court for Southern District of California, where he continues to sit on the bench.

Best Known For:
Gonzalo Curiel is best known for his highly publicized case, in which he is the acting judge in the ongoing battle with Donald Trump and Trump University. Following many rulings that have sided against Trump and his legal team, the republican presidential candidate has dedicated many speeches and campaigns to blasting the judge, calling the him a “hater,” and ridiculing his judgment because “he is Mexican.” Trump claimed Gonzalo should be recused from the case because of an “inherent conflict of interest” based on Trump’s proposal to construct a wall along the U.S. and Mexican border.

Personal Life:
Gonzalo Curiel is not Mexican. His parents are of Puerto Rican and Salvadorian descent. At a young age, his parents emigrated from Mascota, which is a small Mexican town, to Indiana.