Sarah A. L. Merriam

Sarah Ann Leilani Merriam (born 1971)[1] is an American attorney serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She is a former United States magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut and former district judge of the same court.[2]

Sarah A. L. Merriam
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Assumed office
September 23, 2022
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded bySusan L. Carney
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
In office
October 8, 2021 – September 28, 2022
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byJanet C. Hall
Succeeded byvacant
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
In office
April 3, 2015 – October 8, 2021
Preceded byHolly B. Fitzsimmons
Personal details
Born1971 (age 51–52)
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationGeorgetown University (BA)
Yale University (JD)
Duke University (LLM)

Early life and education

Merriam was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, where she attended the Hopkins School.[2] She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University in 1993, a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 2000, and a Master of Laws in judicial studies from the Duke University School of Law in 2018.[3][4]

Career

Merriam clerked for Judge Alvin W. Thompson of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut from 2000 to 2002 and Judge Thomas Meskill of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2002 to 2003. She began her career as an associate with Cowdery, Ecker & Murphy in Hartford, Connecticut. From 2007 to 2015, Merriam served as an assistant public defender for the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.[3][5]

Merriam was political director for a state employee union and helped manage the campaigns of two Democratic U.S. Senators, Chris Murphy and Chris Dodd.[6]

United States magistrate judge

In March 2015, Merriam was selected as a magistrate judge of the District of Connecticut.[7] She replaced Judge Holly B. Fitzsimmons, who retired.[8] She was sworn in on April 3, 2015.[7][9] Her service terminated on October 8, 2021 when she was elevated to a district court judge.[10]

District court service

On June 15, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Merriam to serve as a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut to the seat vacated by Judge Janet C. Hall, who assumed senior status on January 21, 2021.[11] On July 14, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[12] On August 5, 2021, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 13–9 vote.[13] On October 6, 2021, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 53–47 vote.[14] Her nomination was confirmed later that day by a 54–46 vote.[15] She received her judicial commission on October 8, 2021.[10] Her service as a district judge was terminated on September 28, 2022 when she was elevated to the court of appeals.[10]

Court of appeals service

On April 27, 2022, President Joe Biden announced he would nominate Merriam to serve as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.[16][17] On May 19, 2022, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Merriam to the seat to be vacated by Judge Susan L. Carney, who announced her intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor.[18] On May 25, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[19] On June 16, 2022, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–10 vote.[20] On September 14, 2022, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 52–47 vote.[21] On September 15, 2022, her nomination was confirmed by a 53–44 vote.[22] She received her judicial commission on September 23, 2022.[10]

References
  1. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Sarah Ann Leilani Merriam
  2. "Sarah A. L. Merriam | District of Connecticut | United States District Court". www.ctd.uscourts.gov. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  3. "President Biden Announces 4th Slate of Judicial Nominations". The White House. 2021-06-15. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  4. "Biography – Judge Sarah A. L. Merriam | District of Connecticut | United States District Court". www.ctd.uscourts.gov. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  5. Mahony, Edmund H. (15 June 2021). "President Biden nominates three lawyers to fill vacant federal judgeships in Connecticut". courant.com. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  6. Mahony, Edmund H. (July 14, 2021). "Sarah Merriam, the first of the state's three U.S. judicial nominees, breezes though an initial Senate hearing". courant.com.
  7. "Sarah A.L. Merriam '00 Selected as a United States Magistrate Judge" (Press release). Yale Law School. March 25, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  8. Rodinone, Nicholas (March 25, 2015). "Federal Defender Named U.S. Magistrate Judge". courant.com. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  9. "Sarah A.L. Merriam". United States Courts. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  10. Sarah A. L. Merriam at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  11. "Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House. June 15, 2021.
  12. "Nominations for July 14, 2021". United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
  13. "Results of Executive Business Meeting – August 5, 2021" (PDF). Washington, D.C. August 5, 2021.
  14. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Sarah A.L. Merriam to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Connecticut)". United States Senate. October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  15. "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Sarah A.L. Merriam, of Connecticut, to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Connecticut)". United States Senate. October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  16. Raymond, Nate (April 27, 2022). "Exclusive: Biden's latest judicial nominees dominated by public defenders". Reuters – via www.reuters.com.
  17. "President Biden Names Seventeenth Round of Judicial Nominees". The White House. April 27, 2022.
  18. "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. May 19, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  19. "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. May 23, 2022.
  20. "Results of Executive Business Meeting – June 16, 2022" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  21. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Sarah A. L. Merriam to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit)". United States Senate. September 14, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  22. "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Sarah A. L. Merriam to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit)". United States Senate. September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
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