Sarah F. Russell | |
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| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Connecticut | |
| Assumed office November 26, 2024 | |
| Appointed by | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Sarah A. L. Merriam |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1976 (age 48–49) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Education | Yale University (BA,JD) |
Sarah French Russell[1] (born 1976)[2] is an American lawyer and academic who serves as aUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Connecticut.
Russell's parents met as undergraduates in their freshman English class atHarvard College.[3] She received herBachelor of Arts fromYale College in 1998 and aJuris Doctor fromYale Law School in 2002.[4]
From 2002 to 2003, she served as alaw clerk for Chief JudgeMichael Mukasey on theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York and for JudgeChester J. Straub on theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2003 to 2005. From 2005 to 2007, Russell was anassistant federal defender in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Connecticut. From 2007 to 2010, she was a lecturer in law and director of the Arthur Liman Public Interest Program atYale Law School,[4] where she taughtcriminal defense, prison legal services, and Supreme Court advocacy clinics.[5] From 2011 to 2024, she was a law professor and director of the Civil Justice Clinic atQuinnipiac University School of Law.[2][4]
On October 4, 2023, PresidentJoe Biden nominated Russell to serve as aUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Connecticut.[4] President Biden nominated Russell to the seat vacated by JudgeSarah A. L. Merriam, who was elevated to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on September 28, 2022.[6] On November 1, 2023, a hearing on her nomination was held before theSenate Judiciary Committee.[7] During her confirmation hearing, she was questioned over a letter she had signed in March 2020 urging Connecticut's governor to free people from the state's prisons and declare amoratorium on incarcerating anyone else due toCOVID-19. Russell did not include the letter in background materials she compiled for the committee.[8] On November 30, 2023, her nomination was reported out of committee by a party line 11–10 vote.[9] On January 3, 2024, her nomination was returned to the president underRule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of theUnited States Senate[10] and she was renominated on January 8, 2024.[11] On January 18, 2024, her nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10party-line vote.[12][13] On November 19, 2024, the Senate invokedcloture on her nomination by a 50–45 vote, with SenatorJoe Manchin voting against the motion.[14] Later that day, her nomination was confirmed by a 50–44 vote, with Senator Manchin voting against confirmation.[15] She received her judicial commission on November 26, 2024.[16] She was sworn in on December 20, 2024.[17]
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 District of Connecticut 2024–present | Incumbent |