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Jane Kelly
2013 - Present
12
Jane Kelly is an Article III federal judge judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. She joined the court in 2013 after a nomination from President Barack Obama. At the time of her nomination, she was an assistant federal public defender in the Northern District of Iowa.[1][2]
Early life and education
Born in Greencastle, Indiana, Kelly attended Duke University and graduated summa cum laude in 1987 with a B.A. She went on to earn her J.D. in 1991 from Harvard Law School, graduating cum laude.[3]
Professional career
- 1994-2013: Federal Public Defender's Office, Northern District of Iowa
- 1999-2013: Supervising attorney
- 1994-2013: Assistant federal public defender
- 1993-1994: Visiting Instructor, University of Illinois College of Law
- 1992-1993: Law clerk, Hon. David R. Hansen, United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit
- 1991-1992: Law clerk, Hon. Donald Porter, United States District Court for the District of South Dakota[2][4]
Judicial career
Possible 2016 SCOTUS nominee
Prior to President Barack Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland, Kelly was mentioned as a possible nominee to replace former United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on February 13, 2016.[5]
Interview
On March 9, 2016, National Public Radio reported Kelly was interviewed by President Barack Obama as a candidate to succeed deceased Justice Antonin Scalia on the United States Supreme Court.[6]
On March 16, 2016, President Barack Obama nominated Judge Merrick Garland of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to succeed Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court of the United States.[7][8]
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Jane Kelly |
| Court: United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 83 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: January 31, 2013
|
| ABA Rating: Unanimously Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: February 27, 2013
|
| QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: March 22, 2013
|
| Confirmed: April 24, 2013
|
| Vote: 96-0
|
On January 31, 2013, President Obama nominated Kelly to a post on the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, filling the spot vacated by Michael Melloy upon his retirement.[1] Obama commented on the nomination, stating:
| “ | Jane Kelly and Gregory Alan Phillips have proven themselves to be not only first-rate legal minds but faithful public servants. It is with full confidence in their ability, integrity, and independence that I nominate them to the bench of the United States Court of Appeals.[3][9] | ” |
Kelly was rated Unanimously Qualified by the American Bar Association.[10] She had a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 27, 2013, and you can find her Committee Questionnaire available here, and her Questions for the Record available here.[11]
On April 24, 2013, the United States Senate confirmed Kelly to an Article III post for the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit with a vote of 96-0.[12]
Awards and associations
Note: The awards and associations below are listed as they appeared on Kelly's 2012 questionnaire for the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Awards
- 2004: John Adams Award, Iowa Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys
- 1987: Fulbright Scholarship[4][3]
- 1986: Phi Beta Kappa
Associations
- 2012-Present: Facility Security Committee
- 2007-Present: Blue Ribbon Panel for Criminal Cases
- 1999-Present: Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel Selection Committee
- 1991-Present: Harvard Law School Alumni Association
- 1987-Present: Duke University Alumni Association
- 2001-2003, 2005: National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- 1994-1996: Dean Mason Ladd Inn of Court
Noteworthy cases
Eighth Circuit affirms police immunity following Taser death (2014)
In June 2014, the Eighth Circuit ruled that Minneapolis police officers were entitled to qualified immunity after a suspect's death in a Taser incident during an arrest. Chief Judge William Riley, writing for a three-judge panel of the court that included Judges Michael Melloy and Kelly, affirmed the trial court's ruling, noting that the police force used was reasonable under the circumstances.
Articles:
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Judge Jane Kelly. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Judge Kelly's biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- Associated Press, "Jane Kelly's experience rare on US Appeals Court," May 16, 2013
- White House Office of the Press Secretary, "President Obama Nominates Two to Serve on the US Court of Appeals," January 31, 2013
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 White House Office of the Press Secretary, "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate," January 31, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Federal Judicial Center, "Biographical directory of federal judges," accessed August 1, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 White House Office of the Press Secretary, "President Obama Nominates Two to Serve on the US Court of Appeals," January 31, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Senate Judiciary Committee, "Questions for Judicial Nominees," accessed November 14, 2013
- ↑ San Antonio-Express News, "Senior U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia found dead at West Texas ranch," accessed February 13, 2016
- ↑ National Public Radio, "President Obama meets with Supreme Court candidates," March 9, 2016
- ↑ ABC News, "President Obama to Nominate Merrick Garland for Supreme Court," March 16, 2016
- ↑ The White House, "Nomination sent to the Senate," March 16, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 113th Congress," accessed July 26, 2016
- ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "113th Congress Nomination Materials," accessed August 1, 2014
- ↑ The Gazette, "U.S. Senate confirms Jane Kelly to 8th Circuit Court of Appeals," April 24, 2013
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit 2013-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominated | |||
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa
State courts:
Iowa Supreme Court • Iowa Court of Appeals • Iowa district courts
State resources:
Courts in Iowa • Iowa judicial elections • Judicial selection in Iowa
