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Katherine Crytzer

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Katherine Crytzer

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee

Tenure

2020 - Present

Years in position

Education

Bachelor's

Middle Tennessee State University, 2006

Law

George Mason University, Antonin Scalia Law School, 2009

Personal

Birthplace

Texarkana, TX

Contact

Official website

Katherine A. Crytzer (also known as Katie) is a judge on theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. She was nominated by PresidentDonald Trump (R) on September 22, 2020, and confirmed by a 48-47 vote of theU.S. Senate on December 16, 2020. To see a full list of judges appointed byDonald Trump,click here.

TheU.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee 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.

Crytzer was the principal deputy assistant attorney general at theU.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy in 2020. She worked in the Office of Legal Policy from 2017 to 2020.

Judicial nominations and appointments

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee (2020-present)

See also:Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On September 22, 2020, PresidentDonald Trump (R) nominated Crytzer to theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. She was confirmed by a 48-47 vote of the U.S. Senate on December 16, 2020.^[1] Crytzer was the second woman confirmed to be a U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee.^[2] She received commission on December 22, 2020.^[3] To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.

Nomination Tracker

Nominee Information
Name: Katherine Crytzer
Court:United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
Progress
Confirmed 85 days after nomination.
ANominated: September 22, 2020
AABA Rating:Substantial majority qualified / Minority not qualified
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
AHearing: November 18, 2020

QFRs:QFRs(Hover over QFRs to read more)

AReported: December 10, 2020
AConfirmed: December 16, 2020
AVote: 48-47

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Crytzer by a vote of 48-47 on December 16, 2020.^[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.

Crytzer confirmation vote (December 16, 2020)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	0	45	1
Republican	48	0	4
Independent	0	2	0
Total	48	47	5

Change in Senate rules

See also:

Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress

Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

United States federal courts

Crytzer was confirmed to a U.S. District Court under a new precedent the Senate established.

On April 3, 2019, theU.S. Senate voted 51-48 in favor of a change to chamber precedent lowering the maximum time allowed for debate on executive nominees to posts below the Cabinet level and on nominees todistrict court judgeships from 30 hours after invokingcloture to two.^[4]

The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as thenuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.^[5]

It was the third use of thenuclear option in Senate history. In 2013, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold to confirm presidential nominees, except those to theSupreme Court. In 2017, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold required to confirm Supreme Court nominees.^[6] For more, seeFilibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

Crytzer had her hearing before theSenate Judiciary Committee on November 18, 2020.^[1] The committee voted 12-10 to advance her nomination to the full Senate on December 10, 2020.^[7]

Nomination

On September 16, 2020, PresidentDonald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Crytzer to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.^[8] The president officially nominated Crytzer on September 22, 2020.^[1]

Crytzer was nominated to replace JudgePamela L. Reeves, who left an open seat on the court when she died on September 10, 2020.

Crytzer was nominated based on suggestions by Tennessee SenatorsLamar Alexander (R) andMarsha Blackburn (R).^[2]

TheAmerican Bar Association rated Crytzerqualified by a substantial majority andnot qualified by a minority for the position.^[9] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.

Early life and education

Crytzer was born in 1984 in Texarkana, Texas. She earned her B.S.,summa cum laude, from Middle Tennessee State University in 2006. Crytzer received herJ.D.,magna cum laude, from the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University in 2009. She was the managing editor of theGeorge Mason University Law Review from 2008 to 2009.^[10]

Professional career

2020-present: Judge,U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
2017-2020:U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy
- 2020: Principal deputy assistant attorney general
- 2019-2020: Acting deputy assistant attorney general
- 2017-2019: Chief of staff
- 2017: Acting chief of staff
2014-2017:Asisstant U.S. attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky
2010-2014: Associate, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
2009-2010: Law clerk to JudgeRaymond Gruender,United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit^[10]

Awards and associations

Awards

2019: Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service
2017: United States Attorney's Office Performance Award
2017, 2016, 2015: United States Attorney's Office Time Off Award
2013, 2012, 2011: Kirkland & Ellis LLP Pro Bono Service Award^[10]

Associations

Member,The Federalist Society
Volunteer, Lawyers for Romney
Volunteer,Republican National Committee^[10]

About the court

Eastern District of Tennessee
Sixth Circuit

Judgeships
Posts: 5
Judges: 5
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief:Travis Randall McDonough
Active judges:Charles Atchley Jr.,Clifton L. Corker,Katherine Crytzer,Travis Randall McDonough,Thomas Varlan Senior judges: Curtis Collier,Robert Allan Edgar,J. Ronnie Greer,Robert Leon Jordan,Thomas W. Phillips

TheUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee is one of 94United States district courts. 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.

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

Based in Knoxville, the Eastern District of Tennessee maintains branch facilities in Chattanooga, Greenville, and Winchester.

There are four court divisions, each covering the following counties:

TheNortheastern Division, coveringCarter,Cocke,Greene,Hamblen,Hancock,Hawkins,Johnson,Sullivan,Unicoi andWashington counties.

TheNorthern Division, coveringAnderson,Blount,Campbell,Claiborne,Grainger,Jefferson,Knox,Loudon,Monroe,Morgan,Roane,Scott,Sevier andUnion counties.

TheSouthern Division, coveringBledsoe,Bradley,Hamilton,McMinn,Marion,Meigs,Polk,Rhea andSequatchie counties.

TheWinchester Division, coveringBedford,Coffee,Franklin,Grundy,Lincoln,Moore,Warren andVan Buren counties.

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.