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Jerry Blackwell

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Jerry Blackwell

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the District of Minnesota

Tenure

2022 - Present

Years in position

Predecessor:Susan Richard Nelson (Nonpartisan)

Education

Bachelor's

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1984

Law

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1987

Contact

Official website

Jerry Blackwell is a judge on theUnited States District Court for the District of Minnesota. He was nominated to the court by PresidentJoe Biden (D) on June 15, 2022, and confirmed by theUnited States Senate on December 7, 2022, by a vote of 51-43.^[1] Blackwell 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 Minnesota 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 his confirmation, Blackwell was a founding partner of the law firm Blackwell Burke.^[2]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the District of Minnesota (2022-present)

See also:Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On June 15, 2022, PresidentJoe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Blackwell to theUnited States District Court for the District of Minnesota. He officially nominated Blackwell the same day. He was confirmed by a 51-43 vote of the U.S. Senate on December 7, 2022.^[2]^[1] Blackwell received commission on December 20, 2022.^[3] To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.

Nomination Tracker

Nominee Information
Name: Jerry Blackwell
Court:United States District Court for the District of Minnesota
Progress
Confirmed 175 days after nomination.
ANominated: June 15, 2022
AABA Rating:Well qualified
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
AHearing: July 27, 2022
Hearing Transcript:Hearing Transcript
QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)

AReported: September 15, 2022
AConfirmed: December 7, 2022
AVote: 51-43

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Blackwell by a vote of 51-43 on December 7, 2022.^[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.

Blackwell confirmation vote (December 7, 2022)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	44	0	4
Republican	5	43	2
Independent	2	0	0
Total	51	43	6

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

TheSenate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Blackwell's nomination on July 27, 2022. He was reported to the full Senate on September 15, 2022, after a 13-8-1 committee vote.^[4]

Nomination

On June 15, 2022, PresidentJoe Biden (D) nominated Blackwell to theUnited States District Court for the District of Minnesota.^[1]

Blackwell was nominated to replace JudgeSusan Richard Nelson, who assumedsenior status on December 31, 2021.^[1]

TheAmerican Bar Association rated Blackwellwell qualified.^[5] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.

Biography

Education

Blackwell earned a B.S. andJ.D. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in 1984 and 1987, respectively.^[2]

Professional career

2022-present: Judge,United States District Court for the District of Minnesota
2006-2022: Founding partner, Blackwell Burke
2000-2006: Partner, Blackwell Igbanugo
1996-2000: Partner, Nilan Johnson Lewis
1987-1996: Partner, Robins Kaplan^[2]

About the court

District of Minnesota
Eighth Circuit

Judgeships
Posts: 7
Judges: 7
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief:Patrick Schiltz
Active judges: Jerry Blackwell,Nancy E. Brasel,Jeffrey M. Bryan,Katherine M. Menendez,Laura Provinzino,Patrick Schiltz,Eric Tostrud Senior judges: Donald Alsop,Michael James Davis,David Doty,Joan Ericksen,Donovan Frank,Paul Magnuson,Ann Montgomery,Susan Richard Nelson,John Tunheim,Wilhelmina M. Wright

TheUnited States District Court for the District of Minnesota is one of 94United States district courts. It was established by an act of Congress on March 17, 1849. The main headquarters of the court is based in Minneapolis at the Warren E. Berger Federal Building and Courthouse along with other locations in Saint Paul, Duluth, and Fergus Falls. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, based in downtownSt. Louis, Missouri, at the Thomas F. Eagleton Federal Courthouse and Building.

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

The jurisdiction of the District of Minnesota consists of all thecounties in the state ofMinnesota.

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.