Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.

O. Rogeriee Thompson

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson
Image of Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson

Nonpartisan

United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit (senior status)
Tenure

2022 - Present

Years in position

3

Prior offices
United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit

Education

Bachelor's

Brown University, 1973

Law

Boston University School of Law, 1976

Personal
Birthplace
Anderson, S.C.

Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson is a federal judge on senior status with the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. She was nominated to the court by President Barack Obama (D) in 2009. She was confirmed to the court on March 17, 2010. Prior to her confirmation, she served on the Rhode Island Superior Court.[1] Thompson is the first African-American and the second female to serve on the First Circuit.[2]

On July 22, 2021, Thompson announced that she would assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor. She assumed senior status on September 21, 2022.[3]

Early life and education

A native of Anderson, South Carolina, Thompson earned her A.B. in 1973 from Brown University and a J.D. in 1976 from Boston University's School of Law.[2][4] Thompson also holds honorary degrees from the University of Rhode Island and Bryant College.[5]

Professional career

Judicial career

First Circuit Court of Appeals

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: O. Rogeriee Thompson
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit
Progress
Confirmed 162 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: October 6, 2009
ApprovedAABA Rating: Majority Qualified, Minority Not Qualified
Questionnaire: Questionnaire
ApprovedAHearing: December 1, 2009
QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: January 21, 2010 
ApprovedAConfirmed: March 17, 2010
ApprovedAVote: 98-0

Thompson was nominated for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit by President Barack Obama on October 6, 2009.[6] She was recommended to the President by Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse who called her "highly qualified."[6] She was nominated to fill the seat vacated by Judge Bruce Marshall Selya.

The American Bar Association rated Thompson Majority Qualified, Minority Not Qualified for the nomination.[7][8]

A hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee occurred on December 1, 2009.[9] The only committee members in attendance for her hearing were Al Franken and Sheldon Whitehouse; none of the Republican members of the committee were present, suggesting that she was a non-controversial nominee.[10] On January 21, 2010, the Senate Judiciary Committee reported Thompson's nomination to the full Senate.[11][12] The Senate confirmed her to the court on March 17, 2010 by a vote of 98-0.[13][14]

Rhode Island District/Superior Court

Thompson joined the Rhode Island District Court in 1988 as the first African-American woman to serve on the bench. In 1997, she was elevated from the district court to the Rhode Island Superior Court. She served at this post until her appointment to the federal bench in 2010. While she served in Rhode Island, Thompson chaired the court's Ad Hoc Task Force on Limited English Speaking Litigants which helped establish the Office of Court Interpreters to aid non-english speakers in understanding the full process of the judicial system.[4][15]

Awards

  • 2010: Thompson is an inductee of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hall of Fame of Providence
  • 2006: Women of Excellence Award, Women's Center of Rhode Island[16]

Noteworthy cases

Stolen gun liability case (2012)
See also: United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit (Jones v. Secord, 11-1576)

On July 6, 2012, a three-judge panel for the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit upheld the ruling of Judge Paul Barbadoro of the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire. The panel found that a New Hampshire man could not be held liable for the use of his handgun in a violent crime. Gail Jones, the mother of a shooting victim, filed a lawsuit alleging that Lawrence Secord was liable for the use of his handgun by his grandson in an armed robbery that resulted in three fatalities in 2007. Secord's gun was stolen by his grandson, who broke into a locked summer cabin to obtain the firearm. Barbadoro agreed with Secord that he had taken proper precautions to secure his firearm.
Judge Bruce Marshall Selya agreed, writing the opinion of the panel of Judges Jeffrey R. Howard and O. Rogeriee Thompson. He stated in the opinion, "The record here, even when construed in the light most flattering to the plaintiff, does not show either a particularized risk of harm or a degree of foreseeability sufficient to animate this exception." Jones told the press she brought the lawsuit on to raise awareness of gun storage and risk, telling the press, "Firearms are very dangerous when they're in the wrong hands."[17][18]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Federal Judicial Center, "Thompson, Ojetta Rogeriee," accessed July 16, 2021
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Providence Journal, "Obama nominates Thompson to First Circuit court," October 6, 2009
  3. ↑ Reuters, "1st Circuit's lone Republican-appointed judge to step down from active service," January 27, 2022
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The White House, "President Obama Nominates Judge Denny Chin for United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson for United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit," October 6, 2009
  5. ↑ Providence Journal, "Obama nominates R.I. judge Thompson to federal appeals court bench," October 7, 2009
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Senator Jack Reed, "Reed and Whitehouse Announce Recommendation of Justice O. Rogeriee Thompson to the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals and John J. "Jack" McConnell to the U.S. District Court for Rhode Island," April 13, 2009
  7. ↑ Providence Journal, "Support for R.I. judge not unanimous," October 25, 2009
  8. ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 111th Congress," accessed December 24, 2016
  9. ↑ Providence Journal, "U.S. Senate to receive R.I. Superior Court Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson’s nomination to appeals bench," December 1, 2009
  10. ↑ Providence Journal, "R.I. judge’s nomination rolls smoothly through Senate hearing," December 2, 2009
  11. ↑ Providence Journal, "Senate gets Thompson nomination," January 22, 2010
  12. ↑ Providence Journal, "Senate panel to vote on Rhode Islander nominated to federal bench," January 21, 2010
  13. ↑ Providence Journal "Senate confirms Thompson for federal bench," March 18, 2010
  14. ↑ Projo 7 to 7 News Blog, "Update: Senate sends R.I.'s Thompson to appeals court," March 17, 2010
  15. ↑ Rhode Island Courts, "Know Your Courts: Rhode Island Superior Court" (page 10)
  16. ↑ Providence Journal, "Thompson, Gross, Montiero named to MLK Hall of Fame," January 18, 2010
  17. ↑ Boston.com, "Court says gun owner not negligent in NH shooting," July 9, 2012
  18. ↑ Justia.com, "Opinion: Jones v. Secord"

Political offices
Preceded by
Bruce Marshall Selya 		United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit
2010-2022		 Succeeded by
-


Rhode Island courts

Federal courts:

First Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Rhode Island • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Rhode Island

State courts:

Rhode Island Supreme Court • Rhode Island Superior Court • Rhode Island District Court • Rhode Island Family Court • Rhode Island Workers' Compensation Court • Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal

State resources:

Courts in Rhode Island • Rhode Island judicial elections • Judicial selection in Rhode Island

Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=O._Rogeriee_Thompson&oldid=9812436"