Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Michelle T. Friedland
2014 - Present
11
Michelle Taryn Friedland is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Prior to joining the court, Friedland was a litigation partner at the San Francisco-based office of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP.
Early life and education
Born in Berkeley, California, Friedland earned her undergraduate degree with honors in 1995 from Stanford University. She studied on a Fulbright Scholarship at Oxford University. She earned her J.D. from Stanford Law School in 2000, graduating second in her class.[1]
Professional career
- 2010-2014: Partner, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
- 2004-2010: Associate, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
- 2002-2004: Lecturer, Stanford Law School
- 2001-2002: Law clerk, Hon. Sandra Day O'Connor, Supreme Court of the United States
- 2000-2001: Law clerk, Hon. David Tatel, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit[2][1]
Judicial career
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Nominee Information |
---|
Name: Michelle T. Friedland |
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit |
Progress |
Confirmed 270 days after nomination. |
![]() |
![]() |
Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
![]() |
QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
On August 1, 2013, President Obama nominated Friedland to the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to fill the vacancy left by Raymond Fisher.[3] Obama commented on the nomination, stating, "Michelle T. Friedland, Justice Nancy L. Moritz and John B. Owens will bring an unwavering commitment to fairness and judicial integrity to the federal bench. Their impressive legal careers are testaments to the kind of thoughtful and diligent judges they will be on the Ninth and Tenth Circuits. I am honored to nominate them today."[1]
Friedland was rated Unanimously Well Qualified for the nomination by the American Bar Association.[4] Hearings on Friedland's nomination were held before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on November 6, 2013. Under Rule XXXI, paragraph six, of the standing rules of the U.S. Senate, Friedland's nomination was returned to the president on January 3, 2014.[5]
Friedland was renominated by President Obama on January 6, 2014.[6] Friedland's nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on January 16, 2014. Friedland was confirmed on a recorded 51-40 vote of the United States Senate on April 28, 2014, and she received her commission on April 29, 2014.[2][7]
Reactions to the confirmation
“ | Michelle Friedland will be an excellent addition to the Ninth Circuit, and I am very pleased the Senate confirmed her today. Friedland's confirmation means the Ninth Circuit, by some measures the busiest circuit court in the country, for the first time has its full complement of 29 active judges. | ” |
—Sen. Dianne Feinstein, [9] |
Noteworthy cases
Ninth Circuit panel upholds injunction on January 2017 executive order limiting immigration (2017)
On January 27, 2017, President Donald Trump issued an executive order, Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States, impacting refugee admissions and immigrant and nonimmigrant travel from seven countries. The order suspended for 90 days entry into the United States for individuals from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The order also suspended refugee admissions to the United States for 120 days while the process was reviewed for additional national security measures that could be implemented. The admission of Syrian refugees was suspended indefinitely.
In response to a lawsuit against the order from the states of Washington and Minnesota, U.S. District Judge James Robart issued a temporary nationwide block of the order on February 3, 2017. The block prohibited federal employees from enforcing Section 3 and Section 5 of the executive order while the full case is considered. The Justice Department appealed Judge Robart's block, and on February 9, 2017, a three-judge panel for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals composed of Judges William Canby, Richard Clifton, and Michelle T. Friedland unanimously upheld the injunction in a per curiam order. On February 16, 2017, the Department of Justice filed a brief with the Ninth Circuit stating that President Trump would be rescinding the executive order and issuing a new one to eliminate constitutional concerns.[10][11][12]
President Trump rescinded the executive order on March 6, 2017, and issued a new order to take effect on March 16.[13]
- See also: Federal policy on immigration, 2017-2020
See also
External links
- Judge Friedland's biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- "President Obama Nominates Three to Serve on the United States Courts of Appeals" 8/1/2013
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The White House, "President Obama Nominates Three to Serve on the United States Courts of Appeals," August 1, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Federal Judicial Center, "Biographical directory of federal judges," accessed July 5, 2016
- ↑ The White House, "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate," August 1, 2013
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 113th Congress," accessed July 5, 2016
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 759 - Michelle T. Friedland - The Judiciary," accessed July 5, 2016
- ↑ The White House, "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate," January 7, 2014
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 1182 - Michelle T. Friedland - The Judiciary," accessed July 5, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Pleasanton Weekly, "Friedland get Senate OK to seat on 9th Circuit Court of Appeals," April 28, 2014
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "Judge in Seattle halts Trump’s immigration order nationwide," February 3, 2017
- ↑ The New York Times, "Court Refuses to Reinstate Travel Ban, Dealing Trump Another Legal Loss," February 9, 2017
- ↑ Reuters, "U.S. Justice Dept says Trump to replace travel ban order in near future," February 16, 2017
- ↑ The White House, "Executive Order Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States," March 6, 2017
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by - |
United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit 2014-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
---|---|---|---|
Nominated |
![]() |
State of California Sacramento (capital) |
---|---|
Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |