Jennifer Sung

From Ballotpedia
Jennifer Sung
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
Tenure
2021 - Present
Years in position
4
Predecessor:Susan Graber (Nonpartisan)
Education
Bachelor's
Oberlin College, 1994
Law
Yale Law School, 2004

Jennifer Sung is a judge on theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She was nominated to the court by PresidentJoe Biden (D) on July 13, 2021, and confirmed by theUnited States Senate on December 15, 2021, by a vote of 50-49.[1] Sung 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 Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is one of 13U.S. courts of appeal. They are the intermediateappellate courts of theUnited States federal courts. To learn more about the 9th Circuit,click here.

Prior to her nomination, Sung was a member of the Oregon Employment Relations Board.[2]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2021-present)

See also:Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On July 13, 2021, PresidentJoe Biden (D) nominated Sung to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She was confirmed by a 50-49 vote of the U.S. Senate on December 15, 2021. She received commission on December 20, 2021.[1] To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: Jennifer Sung
Court:United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Progress
Confirmed 155 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: July 13, 2021
ApprovedAABA Rating:Well Qualified by a substantial majority/Qualified by a minority
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
ApprovedAHearing: September 14, 2021
Hearing Transcript:Hearing Transcript
QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: October 21, 2021[3] 
ApprovedAConfirmed: December 15, 2021
ApprovedAVote: 50-49


Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Jennifer Sung by a vote of 50-49 on December 15, 2021.[1][4] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.

Jennifer Sung confirmation vote (December 15, 2021)
PartyYeaNayNo vote
Electiondot.pngDemocratic4800
Ends.pngRepublican0491
Grey.png Independent200
Total50491

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

TheSenate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Sung's nomination on September 14, 2021. On October 21, 2021, the committee cast a tie vote, 10-10, to report Sung to the fullUnited States Senate for a confirmation vote. As a result, Sung was not reported favorably to the full Senate.[5]

On November 3, 2021, theU.S. Senate discharged Sung's nomination from the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 50-49. The Senate cast a tie vote, 49-49, with two senators not voting, and Vice PresidentKamala Harris (D) cast the tie-breaking vote to advance Sung's nomination. Sung's nomination was placed on the Senate Executive Calendar for a confirmation vote.[1][6]

Nomination

On June 30, 2021, PresidentJoe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Sung to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.[2] The president officially nominated Sung on July 13, 2021.[1]

Sung was nominated to replace JudgeSusan Graber, who announced she would assumesenior status upon her successor's confirmation.[7]

TheAmerican Bar Association rated SungWell Qualified by a substantial majority andQualified by a minority.[8] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.

Biography

Education

Sung earned a bachelor's degree from Oberlin College in 1994. She earned aJ.D. from Yale Law School in 2004.[2]

Professional career

About the court

Ninth Circuit
Court of Appeals
US-CourtOfAppeals-9thCircuit-Seal.svg
Judgeships
Posts: 29
Judges: 29
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief:Mary Murguia
Active judges:Bridget S. Bade,Mark J. Bennett,Daniel Bress,Patrick J. Bumatay,Consuelo Maria Callahan,Morgan Christen,Daniel P. Collins,Roopali Desai,Danielle Forrest,Michelle T. Friedland,Ronald Gould,Anthony Johnstone,Lucy H. Koh,Kenneth Kiyul Lee,Sal Mendoza Jr.,Eric D. Miller,Mary Murguia,Ryan D. Nelson,Jacqueline Nguyen,John B. Owens,Johnnie Rawlinson,Gabriel Sanchez,Milan Smith,Jennifer Sung,Holly Thomas,Eric Tung,Lawrence VanDyke,Kim McLane Wardlaw,Ana I. de Alba

Senior judges:
Carlos Bea,Marsha Berzon,Jay Bybee,William Canby,Richard Clifton,Ferdinand Francis Fernandez,William Fletcher,Susan Graber,Michael Hawkins,Andrew Hurwitz,Sandra Ikuta,Andrew Kleinfeld,Margaret McKeown,Diarmuid O'Scannlain,Richard Paez,Mary Schroeder,Barry Silverman,Randy Smith,Richard Tallman,A. Wallace Tashima,Sidney Thomas,Stephen Trott,John Clifford Wallace,Dorothy Wright Nelson


TheUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is afederal appellate court with appellatejurisdiction. It hears appeals from all of the circuit courts within its jurisdiction and its rulings may be appealed to theSupreme Court of the United States.

The Ninth Circuit is the largest appellate court with 29 authorized judicial posts. Appeals are heard in the James R. Browning Federal Courthouse inSan Francisco, California, the Richard H. Chambers Courthouse inPasadena, California, the Pioneer Courthouse inPortland, Oregon, and the William K. Nakamura Courthouse inSeattle, Washington.

One judge of the Ninth Circuit went on to serve on theSupreme Court of the United States. JusticeAnthony Kennedy was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1988 by PresidentRonald Reagan (R).

Map of the Ninth Circuit. Click on a district to find out more about it.


The Ninth Circuit hasappellate jurisdiction over cases heard in one of its subsidiary districts. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law. Appeals of rulings by theNinth Circuit Court of Appeals are petitioned to theSupreme Court of the United States. JusticeElena Kagan is thecircuit justice for the Ninth Circuit.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit hasjurisdiction over thedistrict courts in the followingdistricts:

It also has appellate jurisdiction over the followingterritorial courts:

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.


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑1.01.11.21.31.4Congress.gov, "PN807 — Jennifer Sung — The Judiciary," accessed November 3, 2021
  2. ↑2.02.12.22.3The White House, "President Biden Names Fifth Round of Judicial Nominees," June 30, 2021
  3. ↑Sung received a 10-10 tie committee vote and was not reported favorably to the full Senate.Click here for more details.
  4. ↑U.S. Senate, "Roll Call Vote 117th Congress - 1st Session: Vote Summary: Question: On the Nomination (Confirmation: Jennifer Sung, of Oregon, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit)," accessed June 10, 2021
  5. ↑Reuters, "U.S. Senate panel advances 2nd Circuit nominee, divides over 9th Circuit pick," October 21, 2021
  6. ↑United States Senate, "Votes to Break Ties in the Senate," accessed November 5, 2021
  7. ↑The White House, "Nominations Sent to the Senate," July 13, 2021
  8. ↑American Bar Association, "RATINGS OF ARTICLE III AND ARTICLE IV JUDICIAL NOMINEES 117TH CONGRESS," last updated September 13, 2021
Political offices
Preceded by:
Susan Graber		Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
2021–Present		Succeeded by:
NA