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Tiffany P. Cunningham

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tiffany P. Cunningham
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Assumed office
August 6, 2021
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byEvan Wallach
Personal details
Born (1976-05-27) May 27, 1976 (age 48)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
EducationMassachusetts Institute of Technology (BS)
Harvard University (JD)

Tiffany Patrice Cunningham (born May 27, 1976)[1][2] is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Education

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After graduating from the Roeper School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan,[3] Cunningham received her Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1998 and her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 2001.[4][5]

Career

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Cunningham began her legal career as a law clerk to Judge Timothy B. Dyk of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit from 2001 to 2002. In 2002, she joined the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis as an associate, and was elevated to partner in 2007, where she remained until 2014. From 2014 to 2021, she was a partner at Perkins Coie in Chicago, where she was a member of the patent litigation practice and served on the 17-member executive committee of the firm. She is also a registered patent attorney before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.[4]

Federal judicial service

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On March 30, 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Cunningham to serve as a United States circuit judge for the Federal Circuit. On April 19, 2021, her nomination was sent to the United States Senate. President Biden nominated Cunningham to the seat vacated by Judge Evan Wallach, who assumed senior status on May 31, 2021.[6] On May 26, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[7] On June 17, 2021, her nomination was favorably reported by the committee by a 16–6 vote.[8][9] On July 12, 2021, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture on her nomination.[10] On July 15, 2021, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 63–34 vote.[11] On July 19, 2021, her nomination was confirmed by a 63–33 vote.[12] She received her judicial commission on August 6, 2021.[13] She was sworn into office on September 1, 2021.[14] Cunningham is the first African American judge to ever sit on the Federal Circuit.[15] On January 28, 2022, following Justice Stephen Breyer's announcement of his intention to retire as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Cunningham was mentioned as one of the potential nominees for a Supreme Court appointment by President Joe Biden.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Sweet, Lynn (May 26, 2021). "Chicago attorney Tiffany Cunningham sprints through Senate Judiciary Committee hearing". Chicago Sun-Times.
  2. ^ "United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Tiffany Patrice Cunningham" (PDF).
  3. ^ "Tiffany Cunningham '94 Nominated to US Court of Appeals, Federal District". The Roeper School. 2021-04-02. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
  4. ^ a b "President Biden Announces Intent to Nominate 11 Judicial Candidates". The White House. March 30, 2021.
  5. ^ "Perkins Coie Congratulates Partner Tiffany Cunningham on Her Confirmation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit". Perkins Coie. July 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House. April 19, 2021.
  7. ^ "Nominations | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov. 26 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – June 17, 2021" (PDF). judiciary.senate.com. June 17, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  9. ^ "Senate Panel Advances Cunningham's Nomination to Federal Circuit". news.bloomberglaw.com. June 17, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  10. ^ "PN389 — Tiffany P. Cunningham — The Judiciary". Congress.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  11. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Tiffany P. Cunningham to be United States Circuit Judge for the Federal Circuit)". United States Senate. July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  12. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Tiffany P. Cunningham, of Illinois, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Federal Circuit)". United States Senate. July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  13. ^ Tiffany P. Cunningham at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  14. ^ "Swearing-in of the Honorable Tiffany P. Cunningham". United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. September 1, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  15. ^ "Black Judge Chosen for Only Appeals Court Never to Have One (3)". news.bloomberglaw.com. March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  16. ^ de Vogue, Ariane (29 January 2022). "White House considering wider list of Supreme Court nominees". CNN. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
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Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
2021–present
Incumbent