Federal Court Appointment Confirmed : Judiciary: Santa Ana Superior Court Judge Linda H. McLaughlin will join U.S. District Court.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Linda H. McLaughlin has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate for a lifetime post as a federal judge.

McLaughlin, 50, who gained attention locally for her ruling after a 1990 civil rights trial that mandated reforms in the treatment of youths at Orange County’s Juvenile Hall, said she received the news Wednesday night with a mixture of happiness and sadness.

“I feel very privileged to have served on the Orange County Municipal and Superior courts. We’re one of the finest courts in California, so to be leaving such a distinguished court is certainly not an easy step,” she said Thursday. “On the other hand, I look forward to joining the outstanding judges on the (federal court) Central District.”

McLaughlin, who has been an Orange County judge for 12 years, has been praised by her colleagues as exceptionally bright and hard-working, often beginning work in her chambers by 6:30 a.m.

She said she expected to begin her new duties in a week or two.

The local region of the U.S. District Court is based in Los Angeles and covers a seven-county area from Orange County to San Luis Obispo. It has a branch in Santa Ana. The chief judge of the district will decide where McLaughlin will sit.

McLaughlin was appointed to Municipal Court by Gov. Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr. in 1980 and elevated to Superior Court in 1982. She has served as a juvenile judge and handled a variety of civil and criminal cases.

Her confirmation comes nearly five months after she was nominated by President Bush for the $129,500-a-year judgeship.

McLaughlin received her law degree from Boalt Hall School of Law and practiced tax, corporate and securities law before taking the bench. A Santa Ana resident, she is married and has five children.