Service to the Court and Community

Judge Montenegro is a passionate advocate for providing educational, mentorship, and scholarship opportunities for students and has been widely celebrated and acknowledged for her service to the court and the community. She is actively involved in civics education outreach in Imperial and San Diego counties, including the Judges in the Classroom program, and hosting students of all ages in her courtroom (i.e., elementary through high school, college, and law school). In 2023, she mentored students to establish a Pre-Law Club at Imperial Valley College. She currently serves as a mentor to the UCSD Society of Hispanic Students in Law.

Judge Montenegro co-founded and incorporated the El Centro Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization that has awarded well over $1 million in college scholarships to El Centro high school students. Montenegro also served on the inaugural steering committee to establish the Law Enforcement Academy at Central Union High School. She coordinates an annual special oral argument session of the California Court of Appeal in Imperial County, which is attended by hundreds of Imperial County high school students. She is a member of the California Civic Learning Partnership Committee—San Diego/Imperial County, and Just the Beginning-Summer Legal Institute (San Diego) Steering Committee. For numerous years, she served a volunteer judge/keynote speaker for the Imperial County Migrant Education Program and judge/scoring attorney for the Imperial County Mock Trial Program. In 2017, she was featured in a KPBS Inside California Education segment featuring Brawley Union High School’s civics education program.

Judge Montenegro is active in San Diego and Imperial County bar activities, including events sponsored by the Federal Bar Association, Latinas in the Law, and San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association (SDLRLA). Judge Montenegro participated in roundtable discussions at the District Court hosting delegations from Mexico including prosecutors and faculty from the Centro de Estudios sobre la Enseñanza y el Aprendizaje del Derecho coordinated by the University of San Diego Law School and a session with labor judges coordinated by the State Department. In 2024, Judge Montenegro helped organize SDLRLA’s first-ever event held at the San Diego federal courthouse, where she administered the oath of office to the SDLRA board of directors. In 2025, she organized and served as a panel member/moderator of the first-ever Latinas in Law event held at the San Diego federal courthouse—an event for law students and new attorneys to learn about judicial externships and legal careers in the federal judiciary. Judge Montenegro previously served as President of the Imperial County Bar Association, Board member of the California Bar Foundation and, in 2019, Judge Montenegro oversaw the chartering of the Imperial County Lawyers Association.

Judge Montenegro’s community involvement includes serving on the boards of community and service organizations including the El Centro Rotary Club and El Centro Chamber of Commerce, and as a mentor for the Chicano Federation Leadership Training Institute Fellows Program. Judge Montenegro incorporated and served as President of MANA de Imperial Valley, a nonprofit organization with a mission of empowering Latinas through leadership development, community service, and advocacy. During her presidency, MANA de Imperial Valley established signature programs to empower the community, including the Hermanitas mentorship program, the annual scholarship fundraising gala event, annual college scholarship ceremony, leadership conferences for underserved youth in grades 7th through 12th and the organization was recognized as Chapter of the Year by the national organization in Washington D.C.

Personal and Professional Background

Hon. Ruth Bermudez Montenegro is a United States District Judge, who was born and raised in the Imperial Valley. Judge Montenegro is the proud daughter of parents who immigrated from Mexico, Elvia Bermudez and the late Salvador Bermudez, and has four siblings including licensed attorney Nadia P. Bermudez, and the Hon. Eran M. Bermudez, Imperial County Superior Court Presiding Judge.

Judge Montenegro was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on January 3, 2022, confirmed by the United States Senate, and received her Judicial Commission on March 30, 2022.

In February 2024, Judge Montenegro sat by designation in the first-ever Ninth Court of Appeals sitting held in Imperial County. Judge Montenegro serves as Chair of the Ninth Circuit Criminal Law Committee, Member of the Ninth Circuit Opportunity and Equality Committee, Chair of the District’s Criminal Justice Act Committee, former member of the California State-Federal Judicial Council and, in 2025, was appointed to the Judicial Conference of the United States Committee on the Administration of the Magistrate Judges System.

Prior to her elevation to U.S. District Judge in 2022, Judge Montenegro had over 29 years of experience and leadership in the legal community in Imperial County. In 2018, she was appointed as the sole United States Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California at the El Centro Courthouse—the first female to hold the position in Imperial County. In 2019, Judge Montenegro was tasked by the District Chief Judge to spearhead the “El Centro Project,” which expanded the Criminal Justice Act panel to include experienced criminal defense attorneys based in Imperial County. This project provided local attorneys the opportunity to practice in federal court, improved the quality of legal representation for indigent defendants, and enhanced access to justice for all.

Prior to her appointment to the federal bench, Judge Montenegro served as a Superior Court Judge in Imperial County. During her tenure, Judge Montenegro co-founded the Imperial County Superior Court Summer Extern Program. In this program, local high school and college students observed court proceedings, shadowed judges, and assisted judges with legal research projects. Judge Montenegro also served as the Family Support Commissioner for the Imperial County Superior Court, where she was the first female Commissioner in the County.

Prior to California Governor Edmund G. Brown appointing Judge Montenegro to the Superior Court bench, Montenegro’s depth of legal experience included serving as the Assistant County Counsel (second- in-command) for the County of Imperial, attorney with Horton, Knox, Carter & Foote representing numerous public agencies, school districts, businesses, corporations, and nonprofits, and serving as counsel and managing large divisions of educational institutions at the K-8 and community college levels.

Education

Judge Montenegro graduated from UCLA School of Law in 1992, where she had the distinction of serving as the UCLA Graduate Student Association President.

She was an associate editor of the UCLA Law School Chicano-Latino Law Review, member of the Law Standards Committee, and received a University Fellowship.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, in Political Science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania where she was awarded the Pennsylvania Board of Governors Scholarship and Political Science Departmental Award and served as a Student Senator and member of the Women’s Cross-Country Team, NCAA Division II. She received an Associate of Arts from Imperial Valley College and served as Student Body President and Women’s Tennis Team Captain.

Honors

Judge Montenegro has received numerous honors and recognition for her service to the court and community, including “Women of the Year” (Law) for the 40th Senate District, “Woman of the Year” for the 56th Assembly District, Imperial County Community Foundation Distinguished Philanthropist, Inspirational Community Leader—Iron Woman Award, MANA de Imperial Valley Las Primeras Award and Legacy Award, two-time recipient of the Soroptimist International of El Centro Ruby Award, MANA de San Diego Legacy Award, City of El Centro Mardi Gras Queen and was honored with City of El Centro’s “Judge Montenegro Day” in 2022. Judge Montenegro received the Clarion University of Pennsylvania’s Distinguished Alumni Award, was inducted in Imperial Valley Community College’s Hall of Fame and served as the commencement speaker at San Diego State University-Imperial Valley.