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Sherri Lydon

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Sherri Lydon

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the District of South Carolina

Tenure

2019 - Present

Years in position

Education

Bachelor's

Clemson University, 1983

Law

University of South Carolina School of Law, 1987

Personal

Birthplace

Myrtle Beach, SC

Sherri Lydon is a judge on theUnited States District Court for the District of South Carolina. On October 15, 2019, PresidentDonald Trump (R) nominated Lydon to a seat on this court. TheU.S. Senate confirmed Lydon on December 5, 2019, by a vote of 76-13.^[1] She received commission on December 10, 2019.^[2] To see a full list of judges appointed byDonald Trump,click here.

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

Lydon was theUnited States attorney for the District of South Carolina from 2018 to 2019.

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the District of South Carolina

See also:Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On October 15, 2019, PresidentDonald Trump (R) nominated Lydon to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the District of South Carolina. TheU.S. Senate confirmed Lydon on December 5, 2019, by a vote of 76-13.^[1] To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.

Nomination Tracker

Nominee Information
Name: Sherri Lydon
Court:United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
Progress
Confirmed 51 days after nomination.
ANominated: October 15, 2019
AABA Rating:Unanimously Well Qualified
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
AHearing: October 16, 2019

QFRs:QFRs(Hover over QFRs to read more)

AReported: November 7, 2019
AConfirmed: December 5, 2019
AVote: 76-13

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Lydon on December 5, 2019, on a vote of 76-13.^[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.

Lydon confirmation vote (December 5, 2019)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	28	13	4
Republican	47	0	6
Independent	1	0	1
Total	76	13	11

Change in Senate rules

See also:

Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress

Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

United States federal courts

Lydon 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.^[3]

The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as thenuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.^[4]

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.^[5] For more, seeFilibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

TheSenate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Sherri Lydon's nomination on October 16, 2019.^[6] The committee voted 18-4 on November 7 to advance the nomination to the full Senate.^[7]

Nomination

On September 12, 2019, PresidentDonald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Lydon to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the District of South Carolina.^[8] TheU.S. Senate officially received the nomination on October 15, 2019.^[1]

TheAmerican Bar Association unanimously rated Sherri Lydonwell qualified.^[9] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.

Early life and education

Lydon was born in 1962 at the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base inSouth Carolina. She earned her B.A. from Clemson University in 1983 and herJ.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1987.^[10]^[11]

Professional career

2019-present: Judge,U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina
2018-2019:United States Attorney, District of South Carolina
2005-2018: Attorney, Law Office of Sherri A. Lydon
2003-2004: Chief, State Grandy Jury, Office of theAttorney General of South Carolina
1995-2003: Attorney, Law Office of Sherri A. Lydon
1993-1995: Attorney, Daniel, Lydon & Schools, P.A.
1990-1993: Assistant U.S. attorney, District of South Carolina
1987-1990: Attorney, Nexsen, Pruet, Jacobs & Pollard
1986: Law clerk to Leatherwood, Walker, Todd & Mann
1985: Law clerk to Nexsen, Pruet, Jacobs & Pollard^[11]

Awards and associations

Awards

2013: Gold Recipient, 2013 Compleat Lawyer Award, University of South Carolina School of Law^[11]

Associations

2003-present: John Belton O'Neall Inn of Court
1996-present, 1987-1993: Richland County Bar Association
2017-2018, 2008-2009, 1987-1990: American Bar Association
2016, 2014: National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
2015-2018, 2012-2013: Federal Bar Association^[11]

About the court

District of South Carolina
Fourth Circuit

Judgeships
Posts: 10
Judges: 9
Vacancies: 1
Judges
Chief:Timothy M. Cain
Active judges:Jacquelyn Austin,Timothy M. Cain,Donald C. Coggins Jr.,Joseph Dawson III,Richard Mark Gergel,Bruce Hendricks,Mary Geiger Lewis,Sherri Lydon,David Norton Senior judges: Joseph Anderson,Cameron Currie,Robert Harwell,Henry Herlong,Terry Wooten

TheUnited States District Court for the District of South Carolina 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 Fourth Circuit based in downtownRichmond, Virginia, at the Lewis F. Powell Federal Courthouse.

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

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

TheAiken Division, coveringAiken,Allendale andBarnwell counties

TheAnderson Division, coveringAnderson,Oconne andPickens counties

TheBeaufort Division, coveringBeaufort,Hampton andJasper counties

TheCharleston Division, coveringBerkeley,Charleston,Clarendon,Colleton,Dorchester andGeorgetown counties

TheColumbia Division, coveringKershaw,Lee,Lexington,Richland andSumter counties

TheFlorence Division, coveringChesterfield,Darlington,Dillon,Florence,Horry,Marion,Marlboro andWilliamsburg counties

TheGreenville Division, coveringGreenville andLaurens counties

TheGreenwood Division, coveringAbbeville,Edgefield,Greenwood,McCormick,Newberry andSaluda counties

TheOrangeburg Division, coveringBamberg,Calhoun andOrangeburg counties

TheRock Hill Division, coveringChester,Fairfield,Lancaster andYork counties

TheSpartanburg Division, coveringCherokee,Spartanburg andUnion counties

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.