Sarala V. Nagala was sworn in as a United States District Judge on November 3, 2021. She was born in Oakes, North Dakota. Judge Nagala graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Public Policy in 2005. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law in 2008.
After graduating from law school, Judge Nagala clerked for United States Circuit Judge Susan P. Graber on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Portland, Oregon. Thereafter, she joined the law firm of Munger, Tolles, & Olson LLP as an associate in San Francisco.
In 2012, Judge Nagala joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. She prosecuted cases involving child exploitation, human trafficking, hate crimes, government fraud, identity theft, and other matters. She served as Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Unit from November 2016 until her elevation to the bench.