The United States District Court for the Northern District of California is pleased to announce that it has selected Ajay S. Krishnan to fill the magistrate judgeship in January 2026, when Chief Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu retires.
Mr. Krishnan will join the court from Keker, Van Nest & Peters, LLP, where he has served as a partner for the past fifteen years, and where he has practiced for the last twenty years. During that time, he has tried over a dozen cases. Mr. Krishnan has litigated a variety of intellectual property cases, including patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret cases. He has also had a significant general commercial litigation practice, involving contract disputes, business torts, securities cases, and class actions, among others. He has litigated both civil and criminal cases, and has litigated in federal and state court, in administrative agencies, and in arbitrations. For the last several years, he has represented plaintiffs and defendants in equal measure.
Mr. Krishnan has also maintained a robust pro bono practice over the last twenty years, representing a wide variety of clients in both individual and impact civil rights cases. Prior to joining Keker, Van Nest & Peters, LLP, he served as a Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Northern California. Mr. Krishnan has also volunteered for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, where he prosecuted misdemeanor cases.
Mr. Krishnan serves on the Northern District of California’s Patent Local Rules Committee. He is also a member of the American Law Institute.
Mr. Krishnan graduated magna cum laude from Rice University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, with specializations in bioengineering and computer engineering. He received his law degree from Harvard Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude. He served as a law clerk for the Honorable Marsha Berzon at the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
The court warmly welcomes Magistrate Judge-Select Krishnan and anticipates that his knowledge of federal law and practice will enhance the court’s service to litigants in the Oakland Division. His selection is contingent on the successful completion of a background review by the FBI.