Charlotte Sweeney

Charlotte Noelle Sweeney (born 1969) is an American lawyer from Colorado who serves as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.

Charlotte Sweeney
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
Assumed office
July 18, 2022
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byR. Brooke Jackson
Personal details
Born1969 (age 53–54)
Englewood, Colorado, U.S.
EducationCalifornia Lutheran University (BS)
University of Denver (JD)

Early life and education

Sweeney was born in 1969 in Englewood, Colorado.[1] She received a Bachelor of Science from California Lutheran University in 1991 and a Juris Doctor from the Sturm College of Law in 1995.[2]

Career

Sweeney began her career as an associate with LaFond & Clausen, LLC in 1995 and was named a partner at the firm in 1998. From 1999 to 2008, she was a partner with LaFond & Sweeney, LLC. From 2008 to 2022, she was a partner at Sweeney & Bechtold, LLC., where she focused on civil rights and employment discrimination law.[2] In 2019, she helped draft the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act in Colorado.[3]

Federal judicial service

In May 2021, Sweeney was one of three candidates recommended to the White House by Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet.[3] On August 5, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Sweeney to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. President Biden nominated Sweeney to the seat vacated by Judge R. Brooke Jackson, who would assume senior status on September 30, 2021.[4] On October 20, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[5] On December 2, 2021, the committee failed to report her nomination by an 11–11 vote.[6] On January 3, 2022, her nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate;[7] she was renominated the same day.[8] On January 20, 2022, the committee again failed to report her nomination by an 11–11 vote.[9] On May 11, 2022, the Senate discharged the committee from further consideration of her nomination by a 51–49 vote.[10][11] On May 24, 2022, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 48–42 vote.[12] On May 25, 2022, her nomination was confirmed by a 48–46 vote.[13] She received her judicial commission on July 18, 2022.[14] She is the first openly LGBT federal judge in Colorado and the first openly LGBT woman to serve as a federal district court judge west of the Mississippi.[15]

Associations and memberships

Sweeney previously led the labor and employment section of the Colorado Bar Association as well as the Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association. She is a member of the Colorado LGBT Bar Association.[3] From 2016 to 2022, she served on the board of directors of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, and as interim treasurer from 2021 to 2022.[16][1]

See also

References
  1. "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  2. "President Biden Names Sixth Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. Karlik, Michael (May 30, 2021). "Bennet, Hickenlooper send recommendations to White House for court vacancy". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  4. "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. August 5, 2021.
  5. "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. October 20, 2021.
  6. "Results of Executive Business Meeting – December 2, 2021" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  7. "PN1509 – Nomination of Charlotte N. Sweeney for The Judiciary, 117th Congress (2021–2022)". www.congress.gov. January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  8. "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. January 3, 2022.
  9. "Results of Executive Business Meeting – January 20, 2022" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  10. Raymond, Nate (January 20, 2022). "U.S. Senate confirms 9th Circuit nominee; panel deadlocks on 3 Biden judicial picks". Reuters. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  11. "On the Motion (Motion to Discharge: Charlotte N. Sweeney to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Colorado from the Committee on the Judiciary)". United States Senate. May 11, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  12. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Charlotte N. Sweeney to be United States District Judge for the District of Colorado)". United States Senate. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  13. "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Charlotte N. Sweeney, of Colorado, to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Colorado)". United States Senate. May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  14. Charlotte Sweeney at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  15. "Biden Announces Two Lesbian Nominees to Federal Judiciary". www.advocate.com. August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  16. "Charlotte Sweeney". Matthew Shepard Foundation. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
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