A Los Angeles native, Sanchez graduated from Harvard-Westlake School in 1994.[5] He received his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Yale College in 1998. He was a Fulbright Scholar in 1999 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and in 2000 he received a Master of Philosophy in European Studies from the University of Cambridge. From 2000 to 2002, he worked for McKinsey & Company as a business analyst. He then attended Yale Law School, graduating in 2005 with a Juris Doctor.[6]
Sanchez helped draft the Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act of 2016.[7] The act allowed certain non-violent defendants to be considered for parole and established sentence credits for rehabilitation, good behavior, and education.[8][9]
On September 8, 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Sanchez to serve as a United States circuit judge for the Ninth Circuit. On September 20, 2021, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Sanchez to the seat to be vacated by Judge Marsha Berzon, who announced her intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor.[12] On November 3, 2021, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[13] During his confirmation hearing, Republican senators questioned him about his role in the creation of Proposition 57 in 2016, which allowed for earlier parole for most inmates in California.[14] On December 2, 2021, his nomination was favorably reported by the committee by a 12–10 vote.[15] On December 15, 2021, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture on his nomination.[16] On December 18, 2021, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 44–24 vote.[17] On January 12, 2022, Sanchez was confirmed by a 52–47 vote.[18] He received his judicial commission on January 24, 2022.[11]
^"Governor Brown Appoints 5 Court of Appeal Justices". October 26, 2018.
^"Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
^Bendery, Jennifer (September 8, 2021). "Joe Biden Nominates More Historic Firsts To Be Lifetime Federal Judges". HuffPost. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
^"Alumnus appointed to First District Court of Appeals". The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle. November 26, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
^ ab"President Biden Names Seventh Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^"Nominations and Withdrawal Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. September 20, 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^Raymond, Nate. "GOP questions 9th Circuit nominee Sanchez on California parole reform".
^"Results of Executive Business Meeting – December 2, 2021" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
^"PN1168 — Gabriel P. Sanchez — The Judiciary". Congress.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
^"On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Gabriel P. Sanchez to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit)". United States Senate. December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
^"On the Nomination (Confirmation: Gabriel P. Sanchez, of California, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit)". United States Senate. January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.