Arianna Freeman
Arianna Freeman is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on January 19, 2022, and confirmed by the United States Senate on September 29, 2022, by a vote of 50-47.[1][2][3] To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.
On September 13, 2022, the U.S. Senate did not confirm Freeman to the Third Circuit, by a vote of 47-50. Following the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) filed a motion to reconsider Freeman's confirmation vote.[4]
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is one of 13 U.S. courts of appeal. They are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the Third Circuit, click here.
Prior to her confirmation, Freeman was a managing attorney with the Federal Community Defender Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1]
Judicial nominations and appointments
Possible Joe Biden nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court
On January 27, 2022, United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer officially announced he would retire at the start of the court's summer recess, which typically took place in late June or early July.[5][6] NBC News had previously reported the retirement on January 26.[7] On February 15, Biden announced he would nominate Ketanji Brown Jackson.[8]
President Joe Biden (D) did not announce a list of nominees he was considering. During the retirement announcement, Biden said that: "The person I will nominate will be someone of extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity. And that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court."[9]
Freeman was mentioned by two or more media outlets as a possible nominee to fill Breyer's seat on the court.[10][11] Click here to read more about the vacancy and nomination process.
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (2022-present)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden
Arianna Freeman received commission on October 20, 2022.[12] To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.
On January 19, 2022, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Freeman to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.[1] She was confirmed by a 50-47 vote of the U.S. Senate on September 29, 2022.[2] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
Nominee Information |
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Name: Arianna Freeman |
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit |
Progress |
Confirmed 253 days after nomination. |
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Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
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Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript |
QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
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Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Freeman by a vote of 50-47 on September 29, 2022.[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
Freeman confirmation vote (September 29, 2022) | |||||||||
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Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
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48 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
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0 | 47 | 3 | ||||||
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2 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
Total | 50 | 47 | 3 |
Blue slip withheld from home-state senator
- See also: Blue slip (federal judicial nominations)
On Jan. 19, 2022, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Arianna Freeman to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.[15]
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) withheld his blue slip, with a spokesperson stating that Toomey "felt that while she has some credentials in a very niche area of the law, she lacks the breadth of experience needed to serve as a federal appellate judge" in reference to her background as a public defender.[16]
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a member of the Judiciary Committee, defended Freeman's experience. He said, "It takes a special kind of person to dedicate themselves to those who have perhaps committed awful crimes, dedicate themselves to the ideal to everyone — even the poor, even the abused, even the addicted, even those who have done wretched things — deserve representation."[17]
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Freeman's nomination on March 2, 2022. On April 4, 2022, the committee cast a tie vote to report Freeman to the United States Senate for a confirmation vote. As a result, Freeman was not reported favorably to the full Senate.
On June 22, 2022, the Senate voted to discharge her nomination from the committee in order for her nomination to be considered by the full Senate.[2]
Nomination
On January 19, 2022, President Joe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Freeman to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.[1] He officially nominated Freeman on the same day.[2]
Freeman was nominated to replace Judge Theodore McKee, who assumed senior status upon the confirmation of his successor.[2]
The American Bar Association rated Freeman Well qualified.[18] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Biography
Bildung
Freeman earned a bachelor's degree with honors from Swarthmore College in 2001. She earned a J.D. from Yale Law School in 2007.[1]
Professional career
- 2022-present: Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- 2009-2022: Federal Community Defender Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 2016-2022: Managing attorney
- 2014-2016: Assistant federal defender
- 2009-2014: Research and writing specialist
- 2008-2009: Law clerk, Judge C. Darnell Jones II, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- 2007-2008: Law clerk, Judge James T. Giles, Eastern District of Pennsylvania[1]
About the court
Third Circuit |
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Court of Appeals |
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Judgeships |
Posts: 14 |
Judges: 13 |
Vacancies: 1 |
Judges |
Chief: Michael Chagares |
Active judges: Stephanos Bibas, Michael Chagares, Cindy Chung, Arianna Freeman, Thomas Hardiman, Kent Jordan, Cheryl Ann Krause, Paul Matey, Tamika Montgomery-Reeves, Peter Phipps, David Porter, Luis Felipe Restrepo, Patty Shwartz Senior judges: |
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal appellate court with appellate jurisdiction. It hears appeals from all of the circuit courts within its jurisdiction and its rulings may be appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Appeals are heard in the James A. Byrne Federal Courthouse in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It shares a courthouse with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
One judge of the Third Circuit went on to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Samuel Alito was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2006 by George W. Bush (R).
Jurisdiction
The Third Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over cases heard in one of its subsidiary districts. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law. Appeals of rulings by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals are petitioned to the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice Samuel Alito is the circuit justice for the Third Circuit.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court in the following federal judicial districts:
- District of Delaware
- District of New Jersey
- Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- Middle District of Pennsylvania
- Western District of Pennsylvania
It also has appellate jurisdiction over the United States District Court for the U.S. Virgin Islands which, in spite of the name, is a territorial court and belongs to no federal judicial district.
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
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 the Senate 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 a blue 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.
See also
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 The White House, "President Biden Names Thirteenth Round of Judicial Nominees," January 19, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Congress.gov, "PN1684 — Arianna J. Freeman — The Judiciary," accessed January 20, 2022
- ↑ The White House, "Nominations Sent to the Senate," January 19, 2022
- ↑ Twitter.com, "@SenatePress," September 13, 2022
- ↑ United States Supreme Court, "Letter to President," January 27, 2022
- ↑ YouTube, "President Biden Delivers Remarks on the Retirement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer," January 27, 2022
- ↑ NBC News, "Justice Stephen Breyer to retire from Supreme Court, paving way for Biden appointment," January 26, 2022
- ↑ White House, "President Biden Nominates Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to Serve as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court," February 25, 2022
- ↑ YouTube, "President Biden Delivers Remarks on the Retirement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer," January 27, 2022
- ↑ CBS News, "Biden weighing more than a dozen candidates for Supreme Court vacancy," January 31, 2022
- ↑ USA Today, "Biden considers Judge J. Michelle Childs and may cast wider net for Supreme Court vacancy," January 29, 2022
- ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Freeman, Arianna Julia" accessed October 21, 2022
- ↑ Freeman received an 11-11 tie committee vote and was not reported favorably to the full Senate. Click here for more details.
- ↑ On June 22, 2022, the Senate voted to discharge her nomination from the committee in order for her nomination to be considered by the full Senate.
- ↑ Congress.Gov, "PN 1684 - Arianna J. Freeman - The Judiciary," accessed March 14, 2022
- ↑ Law360, "Sens. Spar Over 3rd Circ. Hopeful's Public Defender Record," March 2, 2022
- ↑ Courthouse News Service, "Surge of public defenders heading to federal bench drives wedge at Senate," March 2, 2022
- ↑ American Bar Association, "RATINGS OF ARTICLE III AND ARTICLE IV JUDICIAL NOMINEES: 117th Congress," Last Updated: March 1, 2022
Federal courts:
Third Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania
State courts:
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania Superior Court • Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court • Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas • Pennsylvania Magisterial Districts
State resources:
Courts in Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania judicial elections • Judicial selection in Pennsylvania
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Theodore McKee |
United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit 2022-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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Commissioned in 2024 |
John Kazen • John Russell • Margaret Garnett • Cristal Brisco • Jacquelyn Austin • Gretchen Hess Lund • Micah Smith • Joshua Kolar • Karoline Mehalchick • Kirk Sherriff • Lisa Wang • David Leibowitz • Jacqueline Becerra • Julie Sneed • Melissa Damian • Kelly H. Rankin • Nicole Berner • Sunil Harjani • Leon Schydlower • Ernesto Gonzalez • Susan Bazis • Robert White • Ann Marie McIff Allen • Eumi Lee • Krissa Lanham • Eric Schulte • Camela Theeler • Angela Martinez • Jasmine Yoon • Nancy Maldonado • Meredith Vacca • Georgia Alexakis • Joseph Saporito • Amy Baggio • Stacey Neumann | ||
Commissioned in 2023 |
Kai Scott • Tamika Montgomery-Reeves • Margaret R. Guzman • Daniel Calabretta • Matthew Garcia • DeAndrea G. Benjamin • Cindy Chung • Adrienne Nelson • Lindsay Jenkins • Gina Méndez-Miró • Araceli Martínez-Olguín • Jamar Walker • Ana Reyes • Jamal Whitehead • Gordon Gallagher • Matthew Brookman• Maria Araujo Kahn• James Simmons • Robert Ballou• Andrew Schopler • Jonathan Grey• Colleen Lawless • Arun Subramanian • Jessica Clarke • Robert Kirsch • Michael Farbiarz • Anthony Johnstone • Orelia Merchant • Wesley Hsu • Bradley Garcia • LaShonda A. Hunt • Nancy Gbana Abudu • Amanda Brailsford • Darrel Papillion • Jeremy Daniel • Hernan D. Vera • Julie Rikelman • Nusrat Choudhury • P. Casey Pitts • Myong Joun • Kymberly Evanson • Tiffany Cartwright • Rachel Bloomekatz • Natasha Merle • Dale Ho • Philip Hadji • Rita Lin • Brendan Hurson • Vernon D. Oliver • Matthew Maddox • Julia Munley • Brandy McMillion • Susan DeClercq • Julia Kobick • Ramon Reyes, Jr. • Ana de Alba • Kenly Kiya Kato • Mónica Ramírez Almadani • Jeffrey M. Bryan • Jamel Semper • Irma Ramirez • Richard Federico • Loren AliKhan • Brandon Long • Jerry Edwards Jr.• Sara Hill • Joseph Laroski | ||
Commissioned in 2022 | David Herrera Urias • Gabriel Sanchez • Holly Thomas • Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong • David Ruiz • Charles Fleming • Bridget Brennan • Leonard Stark • Alison J. Nathan • John Chun • Julie Rubin • Jacqueline Scott Corley • Ruth Bermudez Montenegro • Victoria Calvert • Georgette Castner • Anne Traum • Cristina Silva • Ketanji Brown Jackson (Supreme Court) • Sarah Geraghty • Hector Gonzalez • Fred Slaughter • Jennifer Rochon • Robert Huie • Sunshine S. Sykes • Stephanie Dawkins Davis • Evelyn Padin • Sherilyn P. Garnett • Ana de Alba • J. Michelle Childs • Trina Thompson • Elizabeth Hanes • Nancy Maldonado • Nina Morrison • Gregory Williams • John Z. Lee • Sal Mendoza, Jr. • Lara Montecalvo • Florence Pan • Andre Mathis • Sarah A.L. Merriam • Jennifer Rearden • Roopali Desai • María Antongiorgi-Jordán • Camille Vélez-Rivé • Doris Pryor • Frances Kay Behm • Dana Douglas • Mia Roberts Perez • Anne Nardacci • Jeffery P. Hopkins | ||
Commissioned in 2021 |
Ketanji Brown Jackson • Zahid Quraishi • Julien Xavier Neals • Deborah Boardman • Regina Rodriguez • Candace Jackson-Akiwumi • Lydia Kay Griggsby • Tiffany Cunningham • Eunice Lee • Angel Kelley • Florence Pan • Veronica Rossman • David G. Estudillo • Sarah A.L. Merriam • Gustavo Gelpí • Christine O'Hearn • Margaret Strickland • Karen McGlashan Williams • Patricia Tolliver Giles • Toby Heytens • Michael Nachmanoff • Sarala Nagala • Beth Robinson • Omar A. Williams • Myrna Pérez • Jia Cobb • Tana Lin • Lauren King • Lucy H. Koh • Jennifer Sung • Samantha Elliott • Katherine Menendez • Mary Dimke • Linda Lopez • Shalina Kumar • Jane Beckering • Jinsook Ohta • Jennifer L. Thurston • Stephen Locher • Charlotte Sweeney • Nina Nin-Yuen Wang • Arianna Freeman • Jerry Blackwell |