George H. King

In perhaps his most famous ruling, King granted summary judgment in the case of Rupa Marya v. Warner/Chappell Music Inc. in favor of the plaintiffs, holding that defendants had no valid copyright in the song Happy Birthday, in a decision filed September 22, 2015.

In 1987, King became a United States Magistrate Judge for the Central District of California. On April 27, 1995, President Bill Clinton nominated King to be a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Central District of California, to a new seat created by 104 Stat. 5089. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 30, 1995, and received his commission the same day. He served as Chief Judge from September 14, 2012 to June 30, 2016. He retired on January 6, 2017.

He was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California from 1975 to 1979. King returned to private practice from 1979 to 1986. At the same time, he acted as a hearing examiner for the Los Angeles Police Commission from 1980 to 1982.

King was born in Shanghai, China. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1971 and a Juris Doctor from the USC Gould School of Law at the University of Southern California in 1974. He was in private practice in Los Angeles, California from 1974 to 1975.

In 1971 he was a personnel clerk for Coca Cola Bottling Company. From 1972 to 1975 he served as a law clerk and an associate for three different law firms.

George Herbert King (born October 12, 1951) is a former United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.