Joan Larsen | |
|---|---|
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| Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit | |
| Assumed office November 2, 2017 | |
| Appointed by | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | David McKeague |
| Associate Justice of theMichigan Supreme Court | |
| In office October 1, 2015 – November 2, 2017 | |
| Appointed by | Rick Snyder |
| Preceded by | Mary Beth Kelly |
| Succeeded by | Elizabeth T. Clement |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1968-12-01)December 1, 1968 (age 56) Waterloo, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Adam Pritchard |
| Education | University of Northern Iowa (BA) Northwestern University (JD) |
Joan Louise Larsen (born December 1, 1968) is an American attorney serving as aUnited States circuit judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She previously was an associate justice of theMichigan Supreme Court from 2015 to 2017.
Larsen was born on December 1, 1968, inWaterloo, Iowa. She earned herBachelor of Arts from theUniversity of Northern Iowa and received herJuris Doctor from theNorthwestern University Pritzker School of Law,[1] where she graduated first in her class in 1993.[2] While at Northwestern, she served as articles editor of theNorthwestern University Law Review.
Larsen became a professor at theUniversity of Michigan Law School in 1998. Sheclerked for JudgeDavid B. Sentelle of theU.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and for JusticeAntonin Scalia of theU.S. Supreme Court during the 1994 term.[3] She served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in theU.S. Department of JusticeOffice of Legal Counsel from January 2002 to May 2003 in the administration of PresidentGeorge W. Bush.[4] Larsen did not contribute to the OLC'sTorture Memos, and in March 2002 she authored a memo addressing detainee court access.[5]
On October 1, 2015, Larsen was appointed to theMichigan Supreme Court by Governor Rick Snyder[1] to replace JusticeMary Beth Kelly, who announced plans to resign and return to private practice, effective October 1, 2015.[6] She was elected on November 8, 2016, to fill the remainder of Kelly's unexpired term, which ran through the end of 2018.[7] Larsen received 58.7% of the vote in a three-way race against Deborah Thomas and Kerry Morgan.[8] She was on Republican presidential nomineeDonald Trump's May 2016 list of potential Supreme Court justices.[9] Her service was terminated due to her appointment to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
On May 8, 2017, PresidentDonald Trump nominated Larsen to serve as a United States Circuit Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, to the seat soon to be vacated by JudgeDavid McKeague.[10][11][12] Larsen's nomination was held up for months by Michigan's Senators,Debbie Stabenow andGary Peters. The two Democrats initially refused to return theirblue slips for Larsen, an informalUnited States Senate practice that essentially gives Senators veto power over federal judicial nominees from their home state.[13] Larsen met separately with Peters and Stabenow on July 26, 2017.[14] Stabenow and Peters both returned blue slips in August 2017, allowing Larsen's hearing to move forward.[15]
A hearing on Larsen's nomination before theSenate Judiciary Committee was held on September 6, 2017.[16] On October 5, 2017, the Judiciary Committee reported her nomination out of committee by an 11–9 vote.[17][18] Senate Majority LeaderMitch McConnell filed acloture motion to limit debate on Larsen's nomination on October 26, 2017,[19] clearing the path for the Senate to vote on Larsen's nomination in the first week of November 2017.[20] On October 31, 2017, the Senate invoked cloture on Larsen's nomination by a 60–38 vote, with Stabenow and Peters voted to proceed with her nomination and give Larsen a final up-or-down vote.[21][22] On November 1, 2017, Larsen was confirmed by a 60–38 vote.[23] Both Stabenow and Peters, along with six other Senate Democrats, joined all 52 Senate Republicans to confirm Larsen.[24] She received her commission on November 2, 2017.[25][26]
Notable cases as a circuit court judge
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joan Larsen (incumbent) | 2,023,611 | 58.66% | |
| Democratic | Deborah Thomas | 976,660 | 28.31% | |
| Libertarian | Kerry L. Morgan | 449,221 | 13.02% | |
| Majority | 1,046,951 | 30.35% | ||
| Total votes | 3,449,492 | 100.00% | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Associate Justice of theMichigan Supreme Court 2015–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit 2017–present | Incumbent |
| International | |
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| National | |
