André Birotte Jr.

André Birotte Jr.[1] (born August 15, 1966) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California and previously served as United States Attorney for the Central District of California. On July 22, 2014, the United States Senate unanimously confirmed Birotte to serve as a district judge in Los Angeles after being nominated by President Barack Obama.[2]

André Birotte Jr.
Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California
Assumed office
August 8, 2014
Appointed byBarack Obama
Preceded byGary Allen Feess
United States Attorney for the Central District of California
In office
March 4, 2010 – August 8, 2014
Appointed byBarack Obama
Preceded byThomas P. O'Brien
Succeeded byStephanie Yonekura
Personal details
Born (1966-08-15) August 15, 1966
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
EducationTufts University (BS)
Pepperdine University (JD)

Early life and education

Birotte was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1966 to Haitian immigrants.[3][4] Birotte graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology in 1987 and received his Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1991.[5][6]

Career

After graduating from law school, Birotte was a deputy public defender in Los Angeles.[1] In 1995, he became an assistant United States attorney.[1] Four years later, he joined Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan where he represented individuals charged with white collar crime.[1][6]

André Birotte as U.S. Attorney

Birotte was appointed to the United States Attorney's office by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in February 2010.[7] He was sworn in on March 4, 2010.[1] Judge Terry J. Hatter, Jr. administered the oath.[8] Birotte was the first African-American United States attorney for the Central District.[9] He supervised an office of 275 prosecutors.[9][6]

Major cases

Birotte was the United States attorney investigating charges against former cyclist Lance Armstrong for defrauding of the government, drug trafficking, money laundering and conspiracy. He dismissed the case without comment on February 3, 2012. Armstrong reacted to the decision by stating "I am gratified to learn that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is closing its investigation. It is the right decision and I commend them for reaching it."[10] The federal investigation had been ongoing for two years prior to its dismissal by Birotte. On February 5, 2013, Birotte stated that Armstrong's subsequent admission that he took drugs was no reason to reopen the original investigation.[11]

Federal judicial service

On April 3, 2014, President Obama nominated Birotte to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, to the seat vacated by Gary Allen Feess, who assumed senior status on March 13, 2014.[12][13] He received a hearing before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee on May 20, 2014.[14] On June 19, 2014, his nomination was reported out of committee by a voice vote.[15] On July 16, 2014, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed a motion to invoke cloture on Birotte nomination. On July 22, 2014, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 56–43 vote.[16] Later that day, Birotte was confirmed by a 100–0 vote.[17] He received his judicial commission on August 8, 2014.[6] He was sworn in the same day.[18]

Other activities

Birotte served as a judge pro tem for the Los Angeles Superior Court. He is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Judicial Appointments Committee and Criminal Justice Executive Committee. He has taught legal writing and advocacy at the University of Southern California Law School.[1] Earlier in his career, he served as a deputy public defender in Los Angeles and as the inspector general of the Los Angeles Police Department.[19] He served on the board of directors of the Langston Bar Association from 1992 to 2003.[1][6]

Personal

Birotte has a wife and three children.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Meet the U.S. Attorney". Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  2. Kim, Victoria (July 22, 2014). "Andre Birotte Jr. confirmed for L.A. federal judgeship". LA Times. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  3. Simmonds, Yussuf J. (October 14, 2010). "U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte, Jr., a Prosecutor's Prosecutor". Los Angeles Sentinel. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  4. Woodrow, Stephanie (January 15, 2010). "Meet Andre Birotte Jr". Main Justice. Archived from the original on February 6, 2010. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  5. Glover, Scott (December 25, 2009). "Andre Birotte Jr. nominated to be U.S. attorney for Southern California". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
  6. André Birotte Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  7. "Andre Birotte confirmed by Senate as US atty". KSBY. AP. February 11, 2010. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
  8. Woodrow, Stephanie (March 4, 2010). "Los Angeles U.S. Attorney Birotte Sworn In". Main Justice. Archived from the original on February 10, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
  9. Glover, Scott (February 11, 2010). "Birotte confirmed as U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
  10. Austen, Ian (February 13, 2012). "Inquiry on Lance Armstrong Ends With No Charges". New York Times. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  11. "Lance Armstrong Won't Face Prosecution After Doping Admission, U.S. Official Says". Huffington Post. February 5, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  12. "President Obama Nominates Two to Serve on the United States District Courts". whitehouse.gov. Office of the Press Secretary. April 3, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  13. "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate". whitehouse.gov. Office of the Press Secretary. April 3, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  14. "May 20, 2014: Judicial Nominations". United States Senate.
  15. "Executive Business Meeting" (PDF). United States Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  16. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on Andre Birotte, Jr., of California, to be U.S. District Judge)". United States Senate. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  17. "On the Nomination (Confirmation Andre Birotte, Jr., of California, to be U.S. District Judge, Central District of California)". United States Senate. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  18. "Andre Birotte, Jr. Sworn in as United States District Judge". Press Release. United States District Court for the Central District of California. August 8, 2014.
  19. Kim, Victoria (July 23, 2014). "Andre Birotte Jr. confirmed for L.A. federal judgeship". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
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