The Hon. Rita Coyne Federman is a judge for the Superior Court of San Luis Obispo County in California. She was appointed to the bench by former Governor Jerry Brown on December 27, 2012, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Teresa Estrada-Mullaney.
Federman earned a B.A. from Boston College in 1984. She then completed a J.D. from California Western School of Law in 1989.
She began her legal career as an associate at Shearer, Lanctot, Walsh and Knorp in 1989, specializing in general business and corporate law.
The following year, she left the private sector and joined the United States District Court for the Central District of California as a judicial staff attorney. Then, in 1999, she transferred to the Superior Court of San Luis Obispo County, where she continued to serve as a judicial staff attorney. During this time, she also presided over cases as a judge pro tempore.
Prior to her appointment to the bench, Federman was selected to serve as a United States Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the Central District of California from 2004 to 2012.
Federman has served on the Board of Directors of the San Luis Obispo Legal Alternatives Corporation.
She is registered as a Democrat.