Law professor nominated for federal judgeship

October 13, 2009

Washington: Assistant law professor at the Gonzaga University School of Law Rosanna Peterson has been nominated by President Obama for a lifetime seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. If confirmed by the Senate, Peterson would be the first woman to serve the court. She is nominated for the seat vacated when Frederick Van Sickle assumed senior status.

Peterson received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Dakota in 1977. She received an M.A. from the University of North Dakota in 1983, and her J.D. from the University of North Dakota Law School in 1991.

After law school Peterson served as a law clerk for Frederick Van Sickle in the Eastern District of Washington. Following her clerkship, Peterson went into private practice with various firms in Spokane, WA. She practiced in the fields of general litigation, employment and education law, and criminal defense. Peterson joined the faculty of Gonzaga University School of Law in 1999, where she teaches Evidence, Federal Jurisdiction, and Trial Advocacy. Peterson became the director of the School of Law’s Externship Program in 2002.

Footnotes

Washington courts

---

Federal courts:

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Washington, Western District of Washington • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Washington, Western District of Washington

State courts:

Washington Supreme Court • Washington Court of Appeals • Washington Superior Court • Washington District Courts • Washington Municipal Courts

State resources:

Courts in Washington • Washington judicial elections • Judicial selection in Washington