Sharon Blackburn

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Sharon Lovelace Blackburn
	Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
Progress
	Confirmed 43 days after nomination.
	Nominated: April 11, 1991
	ABA Rating: Unanimously Qualified
	Questionnaire:
	Hearing: May 15, 1991
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: May 23, 1991
	Confirmed: May 24, 1991
	Vote: Unanimous consent

Sharon Lovelace Blackburn is a federal judge on senior status with the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. She joined the court in 1991 after being nominated by President George H.W. Bush. From 2006 to 2013, Blackburn served as the district court's chief judge.

Early life and education

Born in Pensacola, Florida, Blackburn graduated from the University of Alabama with her bachelor's degree in 1973 and from Samford University's Cumberland School of Law with her J.D. in 1977.^[1]

Professional career

1991 - Present: United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama

2015 - Present: Senior judge

2006-2013: Chief judge

1991-2015: Judge

1979-1991: Assistant U.S. attorney, Northern District of Alabama

1985-1991: Criminal division
1979-1985: Civil division

1979: Staff attorney, Birmingham area legal services, Birmingham, Ala.
1977-1978: Law clerk, Hon. Robert Varner, United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama
1977: Law clerk, Hon. J.O. Sentell, Supreme Court of Alabama^[1]

Judicial career

Northern District of Alabama

Blackburn was nominated to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama by President George H.W. Bush on April 11, 1991, to a new seat created by 104 Stat. 5089. The American Bar Association rated Blackburn Unanimously Qualified for the nomination. Hearings on Blackburn's nomination were held before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 15, 1991, and her nomination was reported by then-U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) on May 23, 1991. Blackburn was confirmed by the unanimous consent of the U.S. Senate on May 24, 1991, and she received her commission on May 30, 1991. From 2006 to 2013, Blackburn served as the district court's chief judge. She elected to take senior status beginning on May 8, 2015.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Noteworthy cases

Alabama's "toughest-in-the-nation" immigration law (2011)

See also: United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama (United States, v. State of Alabama; Governor Robert J. Bentley, 2:11-cv-02746-SLB)

On September 28, 2011, Judge Blackburn ruled that parts of a state immigration law passed in June of 2011 can be enforced by the state despite the federal injunction filed against it. The federal injunction was filed by the U.S. Department of Justice arguing that Alabama violated the Constitution by overstepping the federal government's authority to determine immigration policy. The sections approved by Judge Blackburn included: requiring schools to ascertain the immigration status of all enrolling children and their parents, the invalidation of all contracts with illegal immigrants, the requiring of all immigrants to carry registration documents on their person, and allowing police officers to arrest anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant during routine traffic stops. Judge Blackburn did, however, support the federal injunction on certain aspects of the law. The parts of it she blocked included the sections that would make it a crime to transport or harbor illegal aliens and a crime for illegal aliens to solicit and perform work. The sections making it possible to file discrimination lawsuits against companies that hire illegal immigrants and forbidding employers from claiming illegal immigrants' wages as tax deductions were also blocked from going into effect.

On Friday, October 7, 2011, the Justice Department filed an appeal with the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit petitioning that court to overturn Judge Blackburn's decision and, instead, block the law completely.^[4]^[5] The circuit court ruled on the injunction on Friday, October 14, and blocked portions of the law in addition to those blocked by Judge Blackburn.^[6]

The full story can be found here.

Parts of the law blocked by Judge Blackburn's ruling

Making it a crime to transport or harbor illegal aliens
Making it a crime for illegal aliens to solicit and perform work
Making it possible to file discrimination lawsuits against companies that hire illegal immigrants
Making it illegal for employers to claim illegal immigrants' wages as tax deductions

Parts of the law blocked by this Eleventh Circuit decision

Requiring state officials to check the immigration status of students in public schools
Making it a misdemeanor for immigrants to fail to carry registration

^[6]^[7]^[8]

Update

In October 2013, the State of Alabama reached a settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union, one of the major challengers of the immigration law. The settlement ended the federal lawsuit and parts of the law voided by the Eleventh Circuit, including the requirement that school check student citizenship and detaining individuals who could not prove citizenship at police stops. It also requires the state to pay attorney fees and expenses for bringing the suit.^[9]