Eunice C. Lee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit | |
| Assumed office August 16, 2021 | |
| Appointed by | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Robert Katzmann |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1970 (age 51–52) Wiesbaden, West Germany (now Germany) |
| Education | Ohio State University (BA) Yale University (JD) |
Eunice Cheryl Lee (born 1970)[1] is a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Born in West Germany, she attended Ohio State University and Yale Law School. In 2021, she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the Second Circuit after being nominated by President Joe Biden.[2]
Early life and education[edit]
Lee was born on a United States Air Force base in Wiesbaden, Germany.[3] She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio State University in 1993 and her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1996.[4]
Career[edit]
Lee began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge Susan J. Dlott on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio from 1996 to 1997, and Judge Eric L. Clay on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 1997 to 1998. From 1998 to 2019, she worked with the Office of the Appellate Defender in New York City; from 2003 to 2019 she also served as director of recruitment and outreach at the Office of the Appellate Defender. She joined the office as a staff attorney and was named supervising attorney in 2001. She served as an adjunct assistant professor of clinical law at New York University School of Law from 2003 to 2019, teaching a criminal appellate defense clinic.[4] On January 26, 2022, it was speculated by some media outlets that Lee would be considered by Joe Biden as a nominee to replace Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court. Biden ultimately chose U.S. Court of Appeals judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.[5]
Federal judicial service[edit]
On May 12, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Lee to serve as a United States Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to the seat vacated by Judge Robert Katzmann, who took senior status on January 21, 2021.[6]
On June 9, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[7] On July 15, 2021, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 11–10 vote; Senator Lindsey Graham passed on the vote.[8] She is the second African American woman ever to serve on the Second Circuit and the only judge with experience as a federal defender serving on that circuit.[9] During Clarence Thomas's 1991 Supreme Court hearing, Lee criticized Thomas in a letter to Ohio State University's student newspaper The Lantern, criticizing him for being a "black conservative." During her own confirmation hearing in 2021, she distanced herself from the contents of the letter.[10]
On August 3, 2021, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture on Lee's nomination.[11] On August 5, 2021, the Senate voted 50–49 in favor of cloture on Lee's nomination, with Senator Graham absent.[12] On August 7, 2021, her nomination was confirmed by a 50–47 vote.[13][14] She received her commission on August 16, 2021. Upon confirmation, Lee became the longest-serving public defender to ever serve as a judge on a U.S. Court of Appeals.[15]
See also[edit]
- List of African-American jurists
- Joe Biden judicial appointment controversies
- Joe Biden Supreme Court candidates
References[edit]
- ^ "United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Eunice Cheryl Lee" (PDF).
- ^ "Historic judicial nominees roll alongside infrastructure bill". Roll Call. 2021-08-05. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
- ^ "Who Is Eunice Lee?". National Review. 2021-06-09. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
- ^ a b "President Biden Announces Third Slate of Judicial Nominees". The White House. May 12, 2021.
- ^ Ariane de Vogue and Tierney Sneed. "Biden said he'd put a Black woman on the Supreme Court. Here's who he may pick to replace Breyer". CNN.
- ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House. May 12, 2021.
- ^ "Nominations | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov.
- ^ "Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Latest Slate of Circuit & District Court Nominations" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: Senate Judiciary Committee. July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ McParland, Tom (May 12, 2021). "Meet Eunice Lee, First Federal Defender Tapped to Serve as 2nd Circuit Judge". New York Law Journal. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
- ^ Rowan, Nicholas (June 11, 2021). "Biden judicial nominee criticized Clarence Thomas for being a 'black conservative'". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
- ^ "PN569 - Nomination of Eunice C. Lee for The Judiciary, 117th Congress (2021–2022)". Congress.gov. May 12, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Eunice C. Lee to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit)". United States Senate. August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ Wester, Jane (7 August 2021). "US Senate Confirms Longtime Public Defender Eunice Lee to 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals". New York Law Journal. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Eunice C. Lee, of New York, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit)". United States Senate. August 7, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
- ^ "Eunice C. Lee Confirmed to the Second Circuit". 9 August 2021.
External links[edit]
- Eunice C. Lee at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- Eunice Lee at Ballotpedia