Wendy Vitter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chief Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana | |
| Assumed office May 15, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Nannette Jolivette Brown |
| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana | |
| Assumed office May 29, 2019 | |
| Appointed by | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Helen Ginger Berrigan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wendy Lee Freret Baldwin 1961 (age 63–64) New Orleans,Louisiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican[1] |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Sam Houston State University (BA) Tulane University (JD) |
Wendy Baldwin Vitter (néeWendy Lee Freret Baldwin; born 1961)[2] is thechief United States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.[3]
Vitter earned aBachelor of Arts fromSam Houston State University and aJuris Doctor fromTulane University Law School.
Upon graduation from law school, she served as a law clerk in theOrleans Parish District Attorney's office and eventually rose to chief of the felony trials division. There, she prosecuted over 100 jury trials, primarily homicide cases.[4] Former New Orleans District AttorneyHarry Connick Sr. called Vitter "honest, impartial and an outstanding legal scholar with plenty of courtroom experience."[5] Later she practiced at aboutique litigation firm specializing inmaritime law and other matters.
Vitter worked as the General Counsel of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans from 2012 to 2019, representing the body in all legal matters.[6]
On January 23, 2018,Donald Trump nominated Vitter to the seat on theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana vacated by JudgeHelen Ginger Berrigan, who assumedsenior status on August 23, 2016.[6][7] A "substantial majority" of theAmerican Bar Association, which evaluates candidates for the federal bench, rated Vitter with its "qualified" rating, with a minority of those who participated in the process rating her as "unqualified."[8] Vitter's judicial nomination was endorsed by then-mayor of New Orleans, DemocratMitch Landrieu; New Orleans District Attorney Leon A. Cannizzaro Jr.; and former New Orleans District AttorneyHarry Connick Sr.[9][10][5] Vitter's judicial nomination has been opposed by the liberal judicial advocacy group theAlliance for Justice.[11] On April 11, 2018, a hearing on her nomination was held before theSenate Judiciary Committee.[12] During her hearing before the Judiciary Committee, Vitter was questioned byDemocrats about her previousanti-abortion and anti-birth control advocacy. In her position as general counsel of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, Vitter had promoted claims about health dangers linked to thebirth control pill. During her Senate hearing, Vitter distanced herself from these claims and promised to upholdRoe v. Wade.[13] SenatorRichard Blumenthal asked Vitter whether she thoughtBrown v. Board of Education was "correctly decided," and she declined to answer, saying "I don't mean to be coy, but I think I can get into a difficult, difficult area when I start commenting on Supreme Court decisions – which are correctly decided and which I may disagree with. Again my personal, political or religious views I would set aside – that is Supreme Court precedent. It is binding. If I were honored to be confirmed, I would be bound by it and of course, I would uphold it."[14] She further stated "It's very easy to seePlessy v. Ferguson and to read Justice Harlan's dissent which of course became the basis forBrown v. Board of Education and to look at that and say well that sounds very obvious to us now in 2018, that that was the right decision, but that's hindsight, I have the benefit of that hindsight."[15][16] She stated that "she didn't think she should comment on which cases she agreed with for fear of starting down a slippery slope."[17] According to CNN, "Judicial conservatives argued Vitter had declined to answer theBrown question because she believes that judges should maintain their impartiality by declining to put forward personal opinions on particular cases."[18] In written follow-up questions submitted after her hearing, Vitter said "I do not believe that racial segregation in schools is constitutional."[14] On May 24, 2018 her nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10 vote.[19]
On January 3, 2019, her nomination was returned to the President underRule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of theUnited States Senate. On January 23, 2019, President Trump announced his intent to renominate Vitter for a federal judgeship.[20] Her nomination was sent to the Senate later that day.[21] On February 7, 2019, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–10 vote.[22] On May 15, 2019, the Senate invokedcloture on her nomination by a 51–45 vote, with SenatorSusan Collins being the only Republican voted against the motion to invoke cloture on her nomination.[23] On May 16, 2019, her nomination was confirmed by a 52–45 vote.[24] She received her judicial commission on May 29, 2019.[25][26] She became Chief Judge on May 15, 2025.[27]
She is married to formerU.S. SenatorDavid Vitter, with whom she has four children.[28] The Vitters reside inMetairie, Louisiana.[29][2] Vitter predicted in 2000 that she would act more likeLorena Bobbitt thanHillary Clinton, if her husband strayed, saying, "If he does something like that, I'm walking away with one thing, and it's not alimony, trust me."[30] In 2007, Vitter stood by her husband and publicly stated her support for him after he admitted to and apologized for involvement with anescort service.[31]
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 Eastern District of Louisiana 2019–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Chief Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana 2025–present | |