Central District of California (Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES — Before officially taking the bench, Karen L. Stevenson decided it would be best if she went to college first.
Though a longtime civil litigator, Stevenson said she knew her new job as a federal magistrate judge would require her to hear criminal motions as well. Not wanting to step into her new role with a blind spot, Stevenson took a trip back to school to audit a criminal procedures class.