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Christine O'Hearn

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Christine O'Hearn

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the District of New Jersey

Tenure

2021 - Present

Years in position

Predecessor:Robert Kugler (Nonpartisan)

Education

Bachelor's

University of Delaware, 1990

Law

Temple University, James E. Beasley School of Law, 1993

Contact

Official website

Christine O'Hearn is a judge on theUnited States District Court for the District of New Jersey. She was nominated to the court by PresidentJoe Biden (D) on April 29, 2021, and confirmed by theUnited States Senate on October 19, 2021, by a vote of 53-44.^[1]^[2] O'Hearn was one of 235Article III judges nominated by PresidentJoe Biden (D) and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. To see a full list of judges appointed byJoe Biden,click here.

TheUnited States District Court for the District of New Jersey is one of 94U.S. District Courts. They are the generaltrial courts of theUnited States federal courts. To learn more about the court,click here.

Prior to her nomination, O'Hearn was a partner at the law firm of Brown & Connery LLP inNew Jersey.

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (2021-present)

See also:Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On April 29, 2021, PresidentJoe Biden (D) nominated O'Hearn to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. The U.S. Senate confirmed Christine O'Hearn by a vote of 53-44 on October 19, 2021.^[1] She received commission on October 22, 2021. To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.

Nomination Tracker

Nominee Information
Name: Christine O'Hearn
Court:United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
Progress
Confirmed 173 days after nomination.
ANominated: April 29, 2021
AABA Rating:Well Qualified
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
AHearing: June 23, 2021

QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)

AReported: July 22, 2021
AConfirmed: October 19, 2021
AVote: 53-44

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Christine O'Hearn by a vote of 53-44 on October 19, 2021.^[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.

O'Hearn confirmation vote (October 19, 2021)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	48	0	0
Republican	3	44	3
Independent	2	0	0
Total	53	44	3

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

TheSenate Judiciary Committee held hearings on O'Hearn's nomination on June 23, 2021. The committee voted to advance O'Hearn's nomination to the full Senate on July 22, 2021.

Nomination

On April 29, 2021, PresidentJoe Biden (D) nominated O'Hearn to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.^[1] To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.

O'Hearn was nominated to replace JudgeRobert Kugler, who assumedsenior status on November 2, 2018.^[3]

TheAmerican Bar Association rated O'HearnWell Qualified.^[4] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.

Biography

Education

O'Hearn earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware in 1990 and aJ.D. from the Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law in 1993.^[2]

Professional career

The following is a summary of O'Hearn's professional career:^[2]

2021-present: Judge,U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
2000-2021: Partner, Brown & Connery, LLP
2006-2007: Adjunct professor, Rutgers University School of Law,Camden, New Jersey
1993-2000: Associate, Brown & Connery, LLP

About the court

District of New Jersey
Third Circuit

Judgeships
Posts: 17
Judges: 17
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief:Renee Bumb
Active judges: Madeline Arleo,Renee Bumb,Georgette Castner,Claire Cecchi,Michael Farbiarz,Edward Kiel,Robert Kirsch,Brian R. Martinotti,Julien Xavier Neals,Christine O'Hearn,Evelyn Padin,Zahid Quraishi,Esther Salas,Jamel Semper,Michael Shipp,Susan Wigenton,Karen Williams Senior judges: Stanley Chesler,Mary Cooper,Katharine Hayden,Noel Hillman,Robert Kugler,William Martini,Kevin McNulty,Peter Sheridan,Anne Thompson

TheUnited States District Court for the District of New Jersey is one of 94United States district courts. It was established in 1789. The court operates out of three locations, Camden, Newark and Trenton,New Jersey. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, based in downtown Philadelphia at the James Byrne Courthouse.

The District of New Jersey hasoriginal jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by theSenate Judiciary Committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

As part of this process, the committee sends ablue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.