Elizabeth A. Wolford
Elizabeth A. Wolford | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York | |
| Assumed office July 14, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Frank P. Geraci Jr. |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York | |
| Assumed office December 17, 2013 | |
| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Charles J. Siragusa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 17, 1966 Buffalo, New York |
| Education | Colgate University (BA) Notre Dame Law School (JD) |
Elizabeth A. Wolford (born December 17, 1966) is the Chief United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York. She is the first female judge to serve in the Western District.[1] She is the first female to be Chief Judge of the Western District of New York.[2]
Biography[]
Wolford was born in 1966, in Buffalo, New York.[3] She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1989, from Colgate University. She received a Juris Doctor in 1992, from the University of Notre Dame Law School. Upon graduation from law school she joined the recently formed The Wolford Law Firm LLP as a partner, spending her entire career in private practice at that firm. Her practice was concentrated in the areas of commercial, employment and personal injury litigation before both federal and state courts. She served as President of the Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys from 2003 to 2004 and as President of the Foundation of the Monroe County Bar from 2010 to 2012.[4][5]
Federal judicial service[]
On May 16, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Wolford to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York, to the seat vacated by Judge Charles J. Siragusa, who took senior status on December 15, 2012. The Senate Judiciary Committee reported her nomination to the full Senate on August 1, 2013 by voice vote. On December 12, 2013, the U.S. Senate voted 55–41 for cloture on Wolford's nomination, cutting off a Republican-led filibuster.[6] The Senate then confirmed her in a 70–29 vote later that same day. She received her judicial commission on December 17, 2013.[5] She became Chief Judge on July 14, 2021.[2]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Making History: President Obama’s Female Judicial Nominees, Alliance for Justice (June 11, 2013).
- ^ a b "United States District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to become first woman to serve as Chief Judge of the Western District of New York" (PDF). United States District Court for the Western District of New York. July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
- ^ ""First Female Judge is on Horizon for WNY" The Buffalo News".
- ^ "President Obama Nominates Three to Serve on the United States District Court". whitehouse.gov. 16 May 2013 – via National Archives.
- ^ a b "Wolford, Elizabeth Ann – Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
- ^ "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 113th Congress – 1st Session". www.senate.gov.
External links[]
- Elizabeth A. Wolford at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- Elizabeth A. Wolford at Ballotpedia
Authority control  |
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- 1966 births
- Living people
- 21st-century American judges
- 21st-century women judges
- 21st-century American women
- American women judges
- American women lawyers
- Colgate University alumni
- Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York
- New York (state) lawyers
- Notre Dame Law School alumni
- Lawyers from Buffalo, New York
- United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama