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Jane Beckering

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Jane M. Beckering

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan

Tenure

2021 - Present

Years in position

Predecessor:Janet Neff (Nonpartisan)

Prior offices:

Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals

Years in office: 2007 - 2021

Successor:Christopher P. Yates (Nonpartisan)

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 6, 2018

Education

Bachelor's

University of Michigan

Law

University of Wisconsin

Contact

Official website

Personal Facebook

Jane Beckering is a judge on theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Michigan. She was nominated to the court by PresidentJoe Biden (D) on July 13, 2021, and confirmed by theUnited States Senate on December 17, 2021, by a vote of 45-25.^[1]^[2] Beckering 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 Western District of Michigan 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, Beckering was a judge for the3rd District of theMichigan Court of Appeals. She assumed office in 2007.^[3]

Judicial nominations, appointments, and elections

United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan (2021-present)

See also:Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On July 13, 2021, PresidentJoe Biden (D) nominated Beckering to theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Michigan. She was confirmed by a 45-25 vote of theU.S. Senate on December 17, 2021. She received commission on December 21, 2021.^[1] To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.

Nomination Tracker

Nominee Information
Name: Jane Beckering
Court:United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan
Progress
Confirmed 157 days after nomination.
ANominated: July 13, 2021
AABA Rating:Well Qualified
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
AHearing: October 6, 2021
Hearing Transcript:Hearing Transcript
QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)

AReported: October 28, 2021
AConfirmed: December 17, 2021
AVote: 45-25

Confirmation vote

TheU.S. Senate confirmed Menendez by a vote of 45-25 on December 17, 2021.^[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.

Beckering confirmation vote (December 17, 2021)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	42	0	6
Republican	2	25	23
Independent	1	0	1
Total	45	25	30

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

TheSenate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Beckering's nomination on October 6, 2021. The committee voted to advance Beckering's nomination to the full Senate on October 28, 2021.

Nomination

On June 30, 2021, PresidentJoe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Beckering to theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Michigan.^[2] The president officially nominated Beckering on July 13, 2021.^[1]

Beckering was nominated to replace JudgeJanet Neff, who assumedsenior status on March 1, 2021.^[2]

TheAmerican Bar Association rated Beckering asWell Qualified.^[4] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.

Michigan Third District Court of Appeals (2007-2021)

2018 election

See also:Michigan intermediate appellate court elections, 2018

General election

General election for Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals (2 seats)

IncumbentJane M. Beckering and incumbentDouglas Shapiro won election in the general election for Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jane M. Beckering (Nonpartisan)	52.1	678,505
✔	Submit photo	Douglas Shapiro (Nonpartisan)	47.9	622,681

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,301,186
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Selection method

See also:Nonpartisan election of judges

The28 judges of theMichigan Court of Appeals are chosen innonpartisan elections and must face re-election if they wish to continue serving. A full term on the court is six years. Candidates are placed on the ballot via nonpartisan primaries or by nominating petitions.^[5] The process for filling vacancies on the appeals court is identical to that used by the supreme court. With the assistance of the judicial qualifications committee, the governor names a replacement to serve until the next general election.^[5]

Qualifications

To be elected to the court, a judge must:

be a qualified elector of his or her district;
be licensed to practice law in the state;
have at least five years of law practice experience;
be under the age of 70.^[5]

Sitting judges who reach age 70 are allowed to serve out the remainder of their term.^[6]

Selection of the chief judge

Thechief judge of the appeals court is selected by supreme court appointment to terms lasting two years.^[5]

2012 election

See also:Michigan judicial elections, 2012

Judge Beckering was re-elected after running unopposed in the general election on November 6, 2012.^[7]^[8]

Michigan Supreme Court (2006)

2006 election

Beckering ran for a seat on theMichigan Supreme Court in 2006.

LWV Questionnaire

Do you support public financing of judicial campaigns? Explain.
- I believe that public financing of judicial campaigns is well worth exploring. Candidates should be selected based upon their legal acumen and ethical integrity, not their financial or political backing. Our system is reliant upon fair and impartial jurists, and removing the financial pressures and potential influences may serve not only to eliminate the appearance of impropriety, but also foster top tier applicants who might otherwise not pursue the bench.

Do you believe the composition of juries in district and circuit courts adequately and fairly reflects society at large? Explain.
- While the jury system largely represents society at large, there is definitely room for careful evaluation and improvement in ensuring that the demographics of the jury pool represent the demographics of the community. Our current majority of the Michigan Supreme Court, however, has banned its unconstitutional affirmative action efforts seeking to accomplish a jury pool reflective of the community.

What can be done to provide individuals with wider and better access to legal help and the legal system?
- Non-profit organizations such as the Legal Assistance Center in Kent County, Michigan are an excellent start at providing individuals with better access to legal help and guidance. Legal aid organizations also support those who otherwise could not afford access to the judicial system. The Michigan Bar Association should continue to encourage lawyers to volunteer their time to pro bono work and/or contribute financially to legal aid organizations as part of their public duty.^[9]

Biography

Education

Beckering earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, where she graduated with distinction. She earned herJ.D. from the University of Wisconsin, graduatingcum laude.^[3]

Professional career

Beckering was in private practice for 17 years before becoming a judge. She worked first for the law firm of McDermott, Will & Emery, P.C. inChicago, Illinois, and later founded the law firm of Buchanan & Beckering, PLC. inGrand Rapids, Michigan.^[3]

Associations

Member, steering committee, Hillman Trial Advocacy Program
Member, Michigan Supreme Court Committee on Model Civil Jury Instructions^[3]

About the court

Western District of Michigan
Sixth Circuit

Judgeships
Posts: 4
Judges: 4
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief:Hala Jarbou
Active judges:Jane M. Beckering,Hala Yalda Jarbou,Robert Jonker,Paul Maloney Senior judges: Robert Holmes Bell,Janet Neff,Gordon Quist

TheUnited States District Court for the Western District of Michigan is one of 94United States district courts. It was established by an act ofCongress on December 24, 1863. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, based in downtownCincinnati, at the Potter A. Stewart Federal Courthouse and Building.

Jurisdiction

The Counties of the Western District of Michigan (click for larger map)

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

The District Court is based inGrand Rapids, courthouses also located inKalamazoo,Lansing andMarquette in the Upper Peninsula.

To read opinions published by this court, clickhere.

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.