Jay Gandhi

Career

Hon. Jay C. Gandhi (Ret.) is known for his thorough, insightful, and candid approach to every matter. He is sought by sophisticated parties to resolve complex and critical cases.

For instance, Judge Gandhi presided over the $1.2 billion Discover settlement relating to card misclassification, the $725 million class action settlement accusing Facebook of allowing Cambridge Analytica to access users' private information, and the $648 million class action settlement by the Monsanto Company concerning environmental contamination.

Most recently in March 2025, he received the inaugural Warren Knight Excellence in Alternative Dispute Resolution Award from the Association of Media and Entertainment Counsel.

Judge Gandhi’s judicial and settlement style has been described as follows:

“Gandhi is a great judge. He is extremely intelligent. … He feels strongly about letting people have their day in court. … He is one of the best magistrates for settlement. … He is excellent. He will get it done for you. … He pushes the other side just enough.”

—Almanac of the Federal Judiciary

“Judge Gandhi … is one of the best settlement judges in – if not the best, in the Central District.”

-U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton

“Gandhi is notorious for engaging in marathon settlement discussions that can occasionally go into the wee hours of the morning, according to attorneys who appeared before him and colleagues who work alongside him.”

—Los Angeles Daily Journal, Judicial Profile

Judge Gandhi previously served for eight years as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Central District of California, the nation’s largest federal court. Upon his appointment in 2010, Judge Gandhi was not only the first South Asian American federal judge in California history, but at the then-age of 38, he was one of the youngest federal judges in the country at the time.

Judge Gandhi was also an active, hands-on trial judge known for his commitment to justice. Judge Gandhi presided over a broad range of contentious and complicated civil cases.

Judge Gandhi served as the Vice-Chair of the Court’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, which oversaw the Central District of California’s ADR program and its mediation panel of over 200 neutrals. Judge Gandhi is also a former Co-Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the American Bar Association’s Litigation Section.

While on the court, he received multiple honors for his judicial qualities and skills, including for instance, the Judicial Trailblazer Award, the Benjamin Aranda III Judge of the Year Award, and the Judicial Excellence and Public Service Award.

Before the bench, Judge Gandhi was a partner at the international law firm of Paul Hastings LLP. He spent 12 years litigating high-profile, high-dollar commercial cases and MDL/class actions in a variety of state and federal jurisdictions across the country.

Prior to Paul Hastings, Judge Gandhi was a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt and graduated Order of the Coif from the University of Southern California Law School.

Judge Gandhi is active in civic affairs and known for his commitment to justice. For instance, he previously served as the settlement monitor for the Los Angeles County’s historic homelessness settlement. He also previously served on the Los Angeles Police Commission’s Advisory Committee on Building Trust and Equity, which studied LAPD policies and procedures and delivered recommendations for reform after the murder of George Floyd. Judge Gandhi has also served in leadership capacities with the Los Angeles Federal Bar Association and the American Bar Association.