Gershwin Drain

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Gershwin Drain
	Court: Eastern District of Michigan
Progress
	Confirmed 259 days after nomination.
	Nominated: 11/17/2011
	ABA Rating: Unanimously Qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: 2/29/2012
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported:
	Confirmed: 8/2/2012

Gershwin Drain is a federal judge on senior status with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He joined the Eastern District of Michigan in 2012 after a nomination from Barack Obama (D). Drain assumed senior status on August 13, 2022.^[1] Before joining the court, he was a judge on the 3rd Circuit Court in Wayne County, Michigan. He was appointed to this position by Gov. Blanchard in 1997.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Biography

Early life and education

Drain received his B.A. degree from Western Michigan University in 1970 and his J.D. degree from the University of Michigan 1972.^[2]

Professional career

Drain worked as a trial attorney for the Federal Defender's Office and then became a judge of the 36th District Court. He served on that court until he was appointed to the circuit court in 1997.^[2]

Federal judiciary nomination

On November 17, 2011, President Barack Obama nominated Gershwin Drain to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan to fill the seat vacated by Bernard Friedman.^[5] Obama commented on the nomination, stating, "Judge Gershwin A. Drain will bring an unwavering commitment to fairness and judicial integrity to the federal bench. His impressive legal career is a testament to the kind of thoughtful and diligent judge he will be on the U.S. District Court. I am honored to nominate him today."^[6]

He was rated Unanimously Qualified by the ABA. He had a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 29, 2012 and you can find his Committee Questionnaire available here and his Questions for the Record available here.^[7]

On August 2, 2012, Gershwin Drain was confirmed to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan after a vote of 55-41.^[8]^[9]

Elections

2010

Main article: Michigan judicial elections, 2010

Drain was re-elected to the 3rd Circuit Court in the general election on November 2, 2010, along with 18 other judges.^[3]

Awards and associations

Drain is a part of the Michigan Judges Association, the Wolverine Bar Association, Association of Black Judges of Michigan, the Michigan Bar Association, a Prison Ministry for the Mound Correctional Facility, and is a lifetime member of the NAACP.

Previously, Drain was a member of the Criminal Jury Instruction Committee, a Law Day speaker for the Criminal Law Section, the Prisons & Corrections Committee, Detroit/Wayne County Criminal Advocacy Board of Directors Instructor, and the Michigan Task Force and National Board of Directors.^[2]

Recognition

Drain has been a columnist for Michigan Chronicle, and was named the WWJ (950 AM) Citizen of the Week, December 27th, 1997 and Michiganian of the Year by the Detroit News in 1997.^[2]