Amy B. Jackson

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Amy Berman Jackson
	Court: United States District Court for the District of Columbia
Progress
	Confirmed 273 days after nomination.
	Nominated: June 17, 2010
	ABA Rating: Unanimously Well Qualified
	Questionnaire:
	Hearing: September 15, 2010
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: February 3, 2011 December 1, 2010
	Confirmed: March 17, 2011
	Vote: 97-0
	Returned: December 22, 2010

Amy Berman Jackson is a federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She joined the court in 2011 after being nominated by Barack Obama.^[1]

Early life and education

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Jackson received her A.B. from Harvard College in 1976 and her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1979.^[1]

Professional career

2011-Present: Judge, United States District Court for the District of Columbia
1986-1994; 2000-2011: Private practice, Washington, D.C.
1980-1986: Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Columbia
1979-1980: Law clerk, Hon. Harrison Winter, United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit^[1]

Judicial career

District of Columbia

Jackson was nominated by President Barack Obama to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia vacated by Judge Gladys Kessler. Announcing three appointments on the same day, Obama said, "These distinguished individuals have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to public service throughout their careers. I am grateful for their decision to serve the American people from the District Court bench."^[2]^[3]

The American Bar Association rated Jackson Unanimously Well Qualified for the nomination. Hearings on Jackson's nomination were held before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 15, 2010, and her nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on December 1, 2010. Jackson's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the 111th United States Congress. Jackson's nomination was resubmitted by President Obama on January 5, 2011, and her nomination was reported by Sen. Leahy, without hearings, on February 3, 2011. Jackson was confirmed on a recorded 97-0 vote of the U.S. Senate on March 17, 2011, and she received her commission the next day.^[1]^[4]^[5]^[6]

Noteworthy cases

Jackson presides in federal trial of Paul Manafort (2017-2019)

See also: United States District Court for the District of Columbia (United States of America v. Paul J. Manafort Jr. and Richard W. Gates III)

On October 30, 2017, it was announced that Judge Amy Berman Jackson would preside over the federal trial of Paul Manafort, the one-time campaign manager for President Donald Trump (R) and Manafort's associate, Rick Gates. Manafort and Gates entered pleas of not guilty in response to an indictment on 12 charges related to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. On November 8, 2017, Judge Jackson issued a gag order that prohibited "all interested participants in the matter, including the parties, any potential witnesses, and counsel for the parties ... from making statements to the media or in public settings that pose a substantial likelihood of material prejudice to this case." ^[7] Manafort challenged the charges, arguing that Mueller had exceeded his authority as special counsel by bringing charges that did not directly relate to the investigation into Russian interference.

On May 15, 2018, Jackson ruled that the charges against Manafort could move forward. concluding that the charges fell within Mueller's authority as special counsel.^[8]

On March 13, 2019, Jackson sentenced Manafort to 43 months in prison on federal conspiracy charges, which brought his total sentence across two different cases to seven and a half years. Prior to sentencing, Manaforted pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy witness tampering.^[9]

For more, see Investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election