Cathy Bissoon
| Cathy Bissoon | |
| Current Court Information: | |
| United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania | |
| Title: | Judge |
| Station: | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Service: | |
| Appointed by: | Barack Obama |
| Approval vote: | 82-3 |
| Active: | 10/17/2011 - Present |
| Preceded by: | Thomas Hardiman |
| Past post: | Western District of Pennsylvania, Magistrate |
| Past term: | 2008 - 2011 |
| Personal History | |
| Born: | 1968 |
| Home State: | Brooklyn, NY |
| Undergraduate: | Alfred U., B.A., 1990 |
| Law School: | Harvard Law, J.D., 1993 |
Contents |
Cathy Bissoon is a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh Division). She joined the court in 2011 after a nomination from President Barack Obama. Prior to her nomination she served as a federal magistrate judge in the Western District of Pennsylvania from August 1, 2008, until her elevation.[1][2]
Early life and education
Judge Bissoon was born in Brooklyn, New York. She received her undergraduate degree from Alfred University in 1990 and her law degree from Harvard Law School in 1993.[1][2]
Professional career
Judge Bissoon began her career as an associate at Reed Smith's Pittsburgh law office. The following year, she clerked for Judge Gary Lancaster of the Western District of Pennsylvania. She returned to Reed Smith in 1995, where she became a partner. She also worked as the head of the firm's Employment Group and its Director of Diversity. In 2007, she joined the firm of Cohen & Grigsby, where she worked as a director and head of the Labor & Employment Group until her judicial appointment in 2008. [1][2]
Judicial career
Western District of Pennsylvania
| Nomination Tracker | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate: | Cathy Bissoon | |
| Court: | Western District of Pennsylvania | |
| Progress: | Confirmed 334 days after nomination. | |
 | Nominated: | November 17, 2010 |
| ABA Rating: | Unanimously Qualified |
| Questionnaire: | Questionnaire |
| Hearing: | June 22, 2011 |
| QFRs: | QFRs |
| Reported: | July 21, 2011 |
| Confirmed: | October 17, 2011 |
| Vote: 82-3 | ||
On November 17, 2010, President Obama nominated Bissoon to the seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania vacated by Thomas Hardiman.[3] She was recommended to the President by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) who called her "an American success story".[4] President Obama had this to say about the nominations made on November 17, 2010: "I am pleased to nominate these distinguished individuals to serve on the United States District Court bench.I am confident they will serve the American people with integrity and a steadfast commitment to justice."[5]
Bissoon received a unanimous rating of "Qualified" from the American Bar Association. She had a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 22, 2011, and you can find her Committee Questionnaire Available Here and her Questions for the Record Available Here. [6]
Bissoon's nomination was returned to the President at the end of the 111th Congress. President Obama resubmitted the nomination on January 5, 2011. Bissoon was confirmed by a United States Senate vote of 82-3 on October 17, 2011. [7][2]
See also
External links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Western District of Pennsylvania, "Biography and Court Practice for Magistrate Judge Cathy Bissoon"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Official FJC Bio of Judge Bissoon
- ↑ White House Press Release "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate", November 17, 2010
- ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Magistrate nominated for U.S. District Court here", November 18, 2010
- ↑ White House Press Release "President Obama Nominates Six to the United States District Court", November 17, 2010
- ↑ Nomination Materials
- ↑ 112th Senate Confirmations
| Federal judicial offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Thomas Hardiman |
Western District of Pennsylvania 2011–Present |
Succeeded by: NA |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 |
Gerard Lynch • David Hamilton • Sonia Sotomayor • Andre Davis • D.P. Marshall • Richard Seeborg • Jeffrey Viken • Charlene Honeywell • Irene Berger • Roberto Lange • Christina Reiss • Dolly Gee • Jacqueline Nguyen • Abdul Kallon • William Conley • Nancy D. Freudenthal • Gloria M. Navarro • Florence Pan • | ||
| 2010 |
Barbara Keenan • Kathleen M. O'Malley • Denny Chin • Leonard Stark • Joseph Greenaway • Thomas Vanaskie • Mark Goldsmith • Elena Kagan • Beverly Martin • Mary Murguia • Ellen Hollander • James Wynn • Jane Magnus-Stinson • Susan Richard Nelson • Audrey Fleissig • Timothy S. Black • James Bredar • Sharon Coleman • Leslie Kobayashi • Kimberly Mueller • Catherine Eagles • Benita Pearson • Jane Stranch • O. Rogeriee Thompson • Rosanna Peterson • Albert Diaz • Brian Jackson • J. Michelle Childs • Richard Mark Gergel • Josephine S. Tucker • Lucy H. Koh • Marisa Demeo • Tanya Walton Pratt • Jon E. DeGuilio • Elizabeth Erny Foote • Marc Thomas Treadwell • Gary Feinerman • William J. Martinez • Scott Matheson • Raymond Lohier • Todd E. Edelman • John A. Gibney • Edmond E. Chang • Carlton W. Reeves • Denise Casper • Robert Leon Wilkins • Beryl A. Howell • Maria Elizabeth Raffinan • | ||
| 2011 |
Sue Myerscough • James Graves • Bernice Donald • Christopher Droney • Claire Cecchi • Esther Salas • Henry Floyd • Morgan Christen • Evan Wallach • [[Diana Salda�a|Diana Salda�a]] • Michael Urbanski • Cathy Bissoon • Anthony J. Battaglia • Edward Chen • Sharon L. Gleason • Marco A. Hernandez • Andrew L. Carter, Jr. • Nelva Gonzales Ramos • Timothy M. Cain • Scott W. Skavdahl • John A. Ross • Robert N. Scola, Jr. • John A. Kronstadt • Edward J. Davila • R. Brooke Jackson • James E. Boasberg • James E. Shadid • Steve C. Jones • John McConnell • Amy Totenberg • Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers • Paul K. Holmes • Susan L. Carney • Max O. Cogburn, Jr. • Amy B. Jackson • Jane Triche-Milazzo • Michael H. Simon • Kathleen M. Williams • Marina Marmolejo • Susan Hickey • Mae A. D'Agostino • Jimmie V. Reyna • Robert David Mariani • Ramona V. Manglona • J. Paul Oetken • Arenda L. Wright Allen • Mark Raymond Hornak • Vincent L. Briccetti • Roy Bale Dalton, Jr. • Sara Lynn Darrow • Kevin Hunter Sharp • Paul A. Engelmayer • Wilma Lewis • Nancy Torresen • Alison J. Nathan • Corinne Ann Beckwith • William Kuntz • Nannette Jolivette-Brown • Dana Christensen • Edgardo Ramos • Katherine Forrest • Stephen Higginson • Richard G. Andrews • James Gilstrap • Jennifer Zipps • Ronnie Abrams • Jennifer Di Toro • Yvonne Williams • | ||
| Unconfirmed |
| ||
