Kenia Seoane Lopez

Kenia Seoane Lopez (born January 14, 1974) is an American attorney and jurist serving as an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She previously served as a magistrate judge of the same court from 2012 to 2022.

Kenia Seoane Lopez
Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia
Assumed office
February 25, 2022
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byRonna Lee Beck
Magistrate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia
In office
July 2012 – February 25, 2022
Personal details
Born (1974-01-14) January 14, 1974[1]
Palma Soriano, Santiago de Cuba Province, Cuba
EducationNortheastern University (BS)
University of Wisconsin–Madison (MA, JD)

Early life and education

Lopez was born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba and moved to the United States before her 10th birthday.[2] Lopez earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Northeastern University in 1997, a Master of Arts in Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2002.[3]

Career

After law school, Lopez was a clerk for the Massachusetts Superior Court. She then joined office of the attorney general for the District of Columbia, working in the legal services division of the child support department. She later served as a bilingual attorney negotiator in the domestic violence division of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She was nominated as a magistrate judge of the Superior Court in 2012. In June 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Lopez as a judge of the Superior Court.[4][5] On September 14, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.[6] On October 6, 2021, her nomination was reported out of committee by a voice vote.[7] On February 1, 2022, cloture was invoked on her nomination in a 59–38 vote.[8] On February 2, she was confirmed by a 59–38 vote.[9] She was sworn in on February 25, 2022.[10]

References
  1. "Questionnaire for Nominees to the District of Columbia Courts" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. September 14, 2021. p. 95. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  2. "Opening Statement of Kenia Seoane López Nominee to be an Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Superior Court" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. September 14, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  3. "President Biden Announces 4th Slate of Judicial Nominations". The White House. June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  4. "Kenia Seoane Lopez | jnc". jnc.dc.gov. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  5. Hulse, Carl (June 15, 2021). "A leading voting rights expert is among Biden's new round of judicial nominees". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  6. "Nominations of Tovah R. Calderon to be an Associate Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals, and Kenia Seoane Lopez, Rupa R. Puttagunta, and Sean C. Staples to be Associate Judges, Superior Court of the District of Columbia" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. September 14, 2021.
  7. "Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Record" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  8. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Kenia Seoane Lopez to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia)". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate. February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  9. "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Kenia Seoane Lopez, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia)". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate. February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  10. "Five New Judges Take Their Place on the Bench in DC Superior Court". DC Courts. February 25, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
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