Arianna Freeman | |
|---|---|
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| Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit | |
| Assumed office October 20, 2022 | |
| Appointed by | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Theodore McKee |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Arianna Julia Freeman 1978 (age 46–47) Boston,Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Education | Swarthmore College (BA) Yale University (JD) |
Arianna Julia Freeman (born 1978) is an American lawyer fromPennsylvania who serves as aUnited States circuit judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Freeman was born in 1978 inBoston.[1] She received herBachelor of Arts with honors fromSwarthmore College in 2001 and earned herJuris Doctor (J.D.) in 2007 fromYale Law School, where she was an editor ofThe Yale Journal of International Law.[2]
Freeman served as alaw clerk for JudgeJames T. Giles from 2007 to 2008 and JudgeC. Darnell Jones II from 2008 to 2009, both on theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. From 2009 to 2022, she worked at the Federal Community Defender Office including as anassistant federal defender as a research and writing specialist from 2009 to 2014 and in the Non-Capital Habeas Unit from 2014 to 2016. From 2016 to 2022, she was a managing attorney with the Federal Community Defender office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania inPhiladelphia.[2]
Freeman was part of the legal team handling thefederalhabeas corpus challenge of the death sentence ofTerrance Williams; the appeal prevailed at theU.S. Supreme Court.[3]
On January 19, 2022, PresidentJoe Biden announced his intent to nominate Freeman to serve as aUnited States circuit judge for theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. President Biden nominated Freeman to the seat vacated by JudgeTheodore McKee, who on July 29, 2021, notified the White House that he intended to assumesenior status upon confirmation of his successor.[4] On January 28, 2022, following JusticeStephen Breyer's announcement of his intention to retire as anAssociate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Freeman was mentioned as one of the potential nominees for a Supreme Court appointment by PresidentJoe Biden.[5] On March 2, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before theSenate Judiciary Committee.[6] During her confirmation hearing, Republican senators criticized her work as a public defender.[7] On April 4, 2022, the committee failed to report her nomination by an 11–11 vote.[8] On June 22, 2022, theUnited States Senate discharged the committee from further consideration of her nomination by a 50–48 vote.[9] On September 6, 2022, Majority LeaderChuck Schumer filedcloture on her nomination.[10] On September 12, 2022, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 45–44 vote.[11] On September 13, 2022, the Senate rejected her nomination by a 47–50 vote.[12] Freeman was the first Biden judicial nominee to be rejected by the Senate.[13] On September 29, 2022, upon reconsideration, her nomination was confirmed by a 50–47 vote.[14] She received her judicial commission on October 20, 2022.[15] She is the firstAfrican-American woman to serve on the Third Circuit.[16][17]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 2022–present | Incumbent |