Jessica Clarke | |
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| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York | |
| Assumed office April 20, 2023 | |
| Appointed by | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Colleen McMahon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jessica Gloria Lynn Clarke 1983 (age 42–43) |
| Education | Northwestern University (BA) Ohio State University (JD) |
Jessica Gloria Lynn Clarke (born 1983)[1] is an American lawyer fromNew York who serves as aUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Clarke received herBachelor of Arts fromNorthwestern University in 2005 and herJuris Doctor,cum laude, from theOhio State University Moritz College of Law in 2008.[2]
Clarke began her law career as alaw clerk for JudgeSolomon Oliver Jr. of theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio from 2008 to 2010. From 2010 to 2016, she served as a trial attorney in the Housing & Civil Enforcement Section of theCivil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice. She then worked at theboutique law firm Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, first as an associate from 2016 to 2018 and then asof counsel from 2018 to 2019. From 2019 to 2023, she served as chief of the Civil Rights Bureau at the New York State Office of Attorney General underLetitia James, overseeing the bureau's work on violations of civil rights law in New York.[3]
On December 15, 2021, PresidentJoe Biden nominated Clarke to serve as aUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York to a seat vacated by JudgeColleen McMahon, who assumedsenior status on April 21, 2021.[4] On January 12, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before theSenate Judiciary Committee.[5] During her hearing, Republican senators questioned her over her role in an investigation related to the New York City police response toGeorge Floyd protests. James recommended that New York City decriminalize minor infractions to reduce "negative contact with the police, particularly in communities of color."[6] On February 10, 2022, the committee failed to report her nomination by an 11–11 vote.[7][8] On June 23, 2022, theUnited States Senate discharged the committee from further consideration of her nomination by a 50–49 vote.[9]
On January 3, 2023, her nomination was returned to the President underRule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of theUnited States Senate; she was renominated later the same day.[10] On February 9, 2023, her nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10 vote.[11] On March 16, 2023, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 49–45 vote.[12] Later that day, her nomination was confirmed by a 48–43 vote.[13] She received her judicial commission on April 20, 2023.[14]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York 2023–present | Incumbent |