Judge Porter has served as a Magistrate Judges in the Southern District of California since 1991 and was presiding judge from 1997 to 2002. Prior to her appointment to the federal bench, she was a civil trial practitioner for 14 years. Judge Porter is active on the local, national and international levels in legal organizations including President of the Federal Magistrate Judges Association (2003-04), President of the San Diego Trial Lawyers Association (1988), Master of the Inns of Court, and founding member of the International Association for Court Administration. She has lectured extensively on trial practice, electronic discovery and international ADR. Judge Porter was inducted into the San Diego Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame in 2004.