San Diego County Superior CourtCandidate for Judge, Office 35

Rebecca Kanter is an Assistant United States Attorney who prosecutes crimes that impact our communities, neighborhoods, and families. From internet crimes against children and human trafficking to international corruption and embezzlement, Rebecca has spent 15 years seeking justice for crime victims. She has also served as the Civil Rights Coordinator and Ethics Advisor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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After graduating from UCLA School of Law, Rebecca served as a judicial law clerk in the Central District of California and then as an associate at the global law firm O’Melveny & Myers LLP. Rebecca teaches as an Adjunct at USD School of Law and previously taught in the UCLA Women’s Studies Program.

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Rebecca is not just a public servant but also a dedicated community volunteer. She is a leader in the legal community, serving on the Board of Directors for the San Diego County Bar Association and Lawyers Club of San Diego, San Diego County’s two largest lawyer membership organizations. 

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In addition to her leadership as an attorney, Rebecca works hard to serve her community. Rebecca is the President of the San Diego Federal Daycare Board of Directors, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring quality, affordable childcare for military and federal families. She was also the President of WiLDCOAST an environmental organization that conserves coastal and marine ecosystems. Rebecca was a founding Board member of the San Diego Leadership Alliance and served her alma mater on the Executive Committee of the UC Irvine Alumni Association. 

My aspirations to be a judge took root when I was a teenager and read “The Courage of Their Convictions: Sixteen Americans Who Fought Their Way to the Supreme Court” by UCSD Professor Peter Irons. Each chapter in the book traces the history of a different Supreme Court case told in two parts – first, tracing the legal issues, procedure and attorneys’ strategies, and second, from the perspective of the individual whose rights or interests were at stake. That is when I first learned about housing discrimination and racially restrictive covenants in Shelly v. Kraemer and the internment of Japanese citizens at the center of Hirabayashi v. United States. 

Professor Irons’ stories made me appreciate the real-world impact that the law, lawyers, and judges have on shaping, for better or worse, the lives of everyday people. The case studies highlighted the impactful role of judges in giving life and meaning to the hallmarks of our democracy: fairness, justice, and equality. As a prosecutor, I have sought to keep these principles in mind in my public service. These cornerstone principles would also be the guideposts of my judicial philosophy. Always remembering the humanity of all individuals appearing in court and mindful that people’s lives, liberty and wellbeing are impacted every day by the decisions judges make will be central to my conduct and decision-making as a judge.