Tanya Walton Pratt
From Judgepedia
| Tanya Walton Pratt | |
| Current Court Information: | |
| United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana | |
| Title: | Judge |
| Position: | Seat #3 |
| Service: | |
| Appointed by: | Barack Obama |
| Active: | 6/15/2010 - Current |
| Preceded by: | David Hamilton |
| Personal History | |
| Born: | 1959 |
| Home State: | Indianapolis, IN |
| Bachelors: | Spelman College, B.A., 1981 |
| Law School: | Howard U. School of Law, J.D., 1984 |
Contents |
Tanya Walton Pratt is a judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.
Early life and education
Pratt graduated from Spelman College in 1981 with her bachelor's degree and earned her law degree in 1984 from Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. [1]
Professional career
Pratt served on the Marion County Superior Court from 1997 to 2010. From 1997 to 2008, Pratt handled criminal felony cases. In 2008, Pratt was re-assigned to handling probate cases. Before becoming a Superior Court judge, Pratt was a private practice attorney and a public defender for Marion County. [1][2]
Judicial career
Southern District of Indiana
On January 18, 2010 Judge Pratt was nominated for a federal judgeship for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. She is the first African-American to receive a nomination for the Southern District of Indiana. [1]
Pratt was recommended for nomination to President Obama by Senator Evan Bayh. The seat that Pratt is nominated for was vacated when David Hamilton was elevated to the Seventh Circuit in 2009. [3][4][5]
Pratt received a substantial majority rating of "Well Qualified" and a minority rating of "Qualified" from the American Bar Association. [6]
Judiciary Committee hearing
Pratt had a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 11, 2010. [6]
Senate confirmation
On June 15, 2010, Pratt was confirmed 95-0 by the Senate and received her commission the same day.[7]
Awards and Associations
- Member of the Marion Superior Court Executive Committee
- Member of the House of Delegates for the Indiana Bar Association
- Chair of the Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday Commission in Indiana, 2001 - 2007 [3]
Notable cases
Indiana Planned Parenthood funding ruling
In June of 2011 Pratt granted a preliminary injection preventing the state of Indiana from enforcing a new law that would prevent Planned Parenthood from receiving funding from medicaid recipients and would require doctors to "notify women seeking abortions that the fetus can feel pain."[8] The ruling, which is only a temporary injunction and does not overturn the law permanently, was based on the recommendations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services which felt that the new Indiana law was contrary to current federal law. The notification requirements were blocked as a violation of the doctors individual right to free speech under the First Amendment. The state has appealed the injunction to the Seventh Circuit and Pratt still needs to rule on the actual constitutionality of the laws in place. [8]
External links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Indianapolis Star "Marion County judge could make history", January 18, 2010
- ↑ Indy Star 'Bayh recommends 2 women for U.S. judgeships", January 18, 2010
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 White House Press Release "President Obama Nominates Five to Serve on the United States District Court Bench", January 20, 2010
- ↑ Bayh Press Release "Senator Bayh Makes Historic Judicial Announcements", January 18, 2010
- ↑ WIBC "Two Indianapolis Judges to Be Nominated to Federal Bench", January 18, 2010
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Judicial Nomination Materials
- ↑ Indianapolis Business Journal, "U.S. Senate confirms Indiana's Pratt as federal judge", June 15, 2010
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Courier Press, "Judge rules state cannot block funding for Planned Parenthood", 6/24/2011
| Federal judicial offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: David Hamilton | Southern District of Indiana 2010–Current Seat #3 | Succeeded by: NA |
