Arenda Wright Allen
Arenda Wright Allen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia | |
| Assumed office May 12, 2011 | |
| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Jerome B. Friedman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Arenda Lauretta Wright December 9, 1960 Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps |
Arenda Lauretta Wright Allen (born December 9, 1960) is a
Federal Public Defender in Norfolk, Virginia
.
Early life and education
Born in Philadelphia, Wright Allen graduated from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania (then called Kutztown State College) with her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1982 and later from North Carolina Central University School of Law with a Juris Doctor in 1985.[1] In May 2013, Wright Allen was awarded an honorary doctorate from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania.[2]
Career
Wright Allen started her legal career as a
Federal Public Defender's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in 2005, where she had served as a Supervisory Assistant Federal Public Defender until becoming a federal judge in 2011.[3][1]
Federal judicial service
On the recommendation of Senators
Mark R. Warner, Wright Allen was nominated to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia by President Barack Obama on December 1, 2010, to a seat vacated Jerome B. Friedman, who assumed senior status on November 30, 2010.[1] The United States Senate confirmed Wright Allen on May 11, 2011, by a 96–0 vote.[4] She received her judicial commission the following day.[1]
Overturning Virginia's same-sex marriage ban
On February 13, 2014, Allen overturned Virginia's statutory
Declaration of Independence – an error which she corrected in a subsequent amended ruling.[6]
Personal life
Allen is married to
Jamaican-American soccer player.[7]
See also
- List of African-American federal judges
- List of African-American jurists
References
- ^ a b c d Arenda Wright Allen at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ "KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY AWARDS HONORARY DOCTORATE TO JUDGE ARENDA L. WRIG…". October 10, 2013. Archived from the original on October 10, 2013.
- ^ Spemcer S. Hsu (December 1, 2010). "Norfolk lawyer nominated as fed judge". The Crime Scene. The Washington Post Company. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation Arenda L. Wright Allen, of Virginia, to be United States District Judge)". January 8, 2011.
- ^ "Federal Judge Overturns Virginia's Same-Sex Marriage Ban". The New York Times. February 14, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- ^ Barnes, Robert (February 14, 2014). "Judge on Va. gay-marriage ban: 'When core civil rights are at stake, the judiciary must act'". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ "Judge in gay marriage case difficult to pigeonhole". The Washington Post. February 6, 2014. Archived from the original on February 6, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
External links
- Arenda Wright Allen at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- Arenda Wright Allen at Ballotpedia
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