Alison Renee Lee

Last updated
Alison Lee
Personal details
Born1958 (age 65–66)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Alma mater Vassar College (BA)
Tulane University (JD)

Alison Renee Lee (born 1958) is a retired South Carolina circuit judge in the Fifth Judicial Circuit and former nominee for United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina.

Contents

Biography

Lee was born in 1958 in Washington, D.C. [1] She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1979 from Vassar College. She received her Juris Doctor in 1982 from Tulane Law School. She served as a law clerk for Judge Israel M. Augustine, Jr. on the Louisiana Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit from 1982 to 1983 and as a law clerk for Judge C. Tolbert Goolsby Jr. on the South Carolina Court of Appeals from 1983 to 1984. From 1984 to 1989, she practiced civil litigation with the McNair Law Firm. From 1989 to 1994, she worked as a staff counsel for the South Carolina legislative counsel. From 1994 to 1999, she served as an administrative law judge in South Carolina. From 1999 to 2023, she served as a circuit judge in South Carolina's Fifth Judicial Circuit. In that role, she presided over both criminal and civil trials and handled appeals in municipal, magistrate and zoning cases. [2] Lee retired from active status on May 16, 2023. [3]

Failed nomination to federal district court

On June 26, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Lee to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, to the seat being vacated by Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, who took senior status on October 3, 2013. [2]

Senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott opposed her nomination because of a controversial decision she made involving burglary suspect Lorenzo Young. Lee consolidated bonds and reduced the total from $225,000 to $175,000 for Young, who subsequently was released and then later charged in the July 1 slaying of a 33-year-old woman. [4] [5]

Due to opposition from her home state senators and a no opportunity of receiving a hearing, President Obama withdrew her nomination on September 18, 2014. [6]

Failed run for state court of appeals

On February 6, 2019 Lee was defeated in the race for a seat on the South Carolina Court of Appeals by Blake Hewitt, in a vote by the South Carolina Legislature. Her loss prompted a walkout by approximately 20 Black members of the house and senate, in protest over the confirmation of a white lawyer with no judicial experience over a black judge with over 20 years on the bench. [7] It was her sixth bid for a seat on the Court of Appeals. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Milano Keenan</span> Austrian-American judge (born 1950)

Barbara Louise Milano Keenan is a senior United States circuit judge of United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and a former justice on the Supreme Court of Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnnie B. Rawlinson</span> American judge (born 1952)

Johnnie Blakeney Rawlinson is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie E. Carnes</span> American judge (born 1950)

Julie Elizabeth Carnes is a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry F. Floyd</span> American judge (born 1947)

Henry Franklin Floyd is a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Millett</span> American judge (born 1963)

Patricia Ann Millett is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She formerly headed the Supreme Court practice at the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. Millett also was a longtime former assistant to the United States Solicitor General and served as an occasional blogger for SCOTUSblog. At the time of her confirmation to the D.C. Circuit, she had argued 32 cases before the United States Supreme Court. In February 2016 The New York Times identified her as a potential nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Michelle Childs</span> American federal judge (born 1966)

Julianna Michelle Childs is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She was previously a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina from 2010 to 2022 and a judge of the South Carolina Circuit Court from 2006 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Koh</span> American judge (born 1968)

Lucy Haeran Koh is an American lawyer serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Koh previously served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California from 2010 to 2021. She also served as a California state court judge of the Santa Clara County Superior Court from 2008 to 2010. She is the first Korean American woman to serve on a federal appellate court in the United States.

U.S. President Barack Obama nominated over 400 individuals for federal judgeships during his presidency. Of these nominations, Congress confirmed 329 judgeships, 173 during the 111th & 112th Congresses and 156 during the 113th and 114th Congresses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Eagles</span> American judge (born 1958)

Catherine Diane Caldwell Eagles is the Chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina and a former Superior Court judge in Guilford County, North Carolina. She is the first female judge to serve in the Middle District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert L. Wilkins</span> American federal judge (born 1963)

Robert Leon Wilkins is an American lawyer and jurist serving as United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He previously served as a judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia from 2010 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Geiger Lewis</span> American judge (born 1958)

Mary Wallis Geiger Lewis is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison Nathan</span> American judge (born 1972)

Alison Julie Nathan is an American lawyer who has served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit since 2022. She served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York from 2011 to 2022. She previously served as associate White House counsel for President Barack Obama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patty Shwartz</span> American judge (born 1961)

Patty Shwartz is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin S. Rosenbaum</span> American judge (born 1966)

Robin Stacie Rosenbaum is an American lawyer who has served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit since 2014. She previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida from 2012 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William J. Kayatta Jr.</span> American judge (born 1953)

William Joseph Kayatta Jr. is an American lawyer who has served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit since 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane L. Kelly</span> American judge (born 1964)

Jane Louise Kelly is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Howe Hendricks</span> American judge (born 1957)

Bruce McCaw Howe Hendricks is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina and former United States magistrate judge of the same court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence Y. Pan</span> American federal judge (born 1966)

Florence Yu Pan is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia from 2021 to 2022 and a judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia from 2009 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr.</span> American judge (born 1964)

Arthur Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He was formerly a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeAndrea G. Benjamin</span> American judge (born 1972)

DeAndrea Gist Benjamin is an American lawyer serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She previously served as a judge of the South Carolina Circuit Court for the fifth district.

References

  1. ↑ "Senate Judiciary Committee Nomination Questionnaire" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  2. 1 2 Nomination announcement from whitehouse.gov
  3. ↑ Monk, John (May 18, 2023). "SC Judge Alison Lee, ex-Obama nominee, retires from the bench". The State .{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ↑ Doyle, Michael (September 25, 2013). "New questions raised about South Carolina federal court nominee". The State. Archived from the original on November 27, 2013.
  5. ↑ Watkins, Ali (July 17, 2014). "US Sen. Tim Scott joins opposition to nomination of SC judge for federal post". The State. Archived from the original on September 20, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  6. ↑ Presidential Nominations and Withdrawal Sent to the Senate, White House, September 18, 2014
  7. ↑ Collins, Jeffrey (2019-02-06). "Black lawmakers protest judicial elections in South Carolina". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2019-02-17.
  8. ↑ "Black SC lawmakers walk out, decry racism as white colleagues reject 'qualified' black judge". thestate. Retrieved 2019-02-17.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.