Judge Illston was appointed to the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of California in May 1995. Her chambers are located in San Francisco where the District Court has many active intellectual property and antitrust matters. Judge Illston has presided over numerous notable cases, including the multidistrict litigation involving allegations of price-fixing among LCD flat-screen manufacturers, In re TFT-LCD Flat Panel Antitrust Litigation; and the patent trial of Verinata Health, Inc. & Illumina, Inc. v. Ariosa Diagnostics, Inc. Before joining the bench, Judge Illston was a partner in the law firm of Cotchett, Illston & Pitre, in Burlingame, CA, specializing in civil litigation practice with emphasis on commercial litigation. Judge Illston is a member of various professional organizations, including the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Trial Advocates, and the International Society of Barristers, and she has also lectured and authored numerous articles. She received her B.A. at Duke University in 1970 and her J.D. at Stanford in 1973.