Fabiana Pierre-Louis | |
---|---|
Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court | |
Assumed office September 1, 2020 | |
Appointed by | Phil Murphy |
Preceded by | Walter F. Timpone |
Personal details | |
Born | New York City,U.S. | September 9,1980
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Robert Reeves |
Children | 2 |
Education | Rutgers University,New Brunswick (BA) Rutgers University,Camden (JD) |
Fabiana Pierre-Louis (born September 9,1980) [1] is an American attorney and jurist serving as a justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. She is the first Black woman to serve on the court. Pierre-Louis had previously worked as attorney-in-charge of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey's Trenton and Camden branches,and as a partner at the law firm of Montgomery McCracken.
Pierre-Louis was born in New York City and spent her early childhood in Brooklyn before moving to Irvington,New Jersey. [2] [3] [4] She is the daughter of Haitian American immigrants [4] [5] and speaks Haitian Creole fluently. [6]
Pierre-Louis graduated from Union Catholic Regional High School in 1998. [7] She earned a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School. [4]
Pierre-Louis served as a law clerk for New Jersey Supreme Court Justice John E. Wallace Jr. Pierre-Louis worked for almost ten years as an assistant United States attorney in the office of United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey,and served as the attorney-in-charge of the U.S. Attorney's Trenton and Camden branches. After leaving that position she became a partner at the law firm of Montgomery McCracken in its Cherry Hill office. [8] [6]
On June 5,2020,Governor Phil Murphy announced his intention to nominate Pierre-Louis to the New Jersey Supreme Court [4] [8] to replace Walter F. Timpone,who was approaching the state's mandatory retirement age for judges. [9] On August 24,2020,the New Jersey Senate's Judiciary Committee voted 11–0 to advance her nomination to the full Senate, [10] [11] and on August 27,2020,the Senate voted 39–0 to confirm her to the Court. [12] [13] [14]
Pierre-Louis was sworn in on September 1,2020,one day after Justice Timpone stepped down. [9] She is the first Black woman to serve on the court. [15]
In 2023,The White House considered nominating Pierre-Louis for a vacancy on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit,however she withdrew her name from consideration. [16]
Pierre-Louis and her husband,Robert Reeves,have two sons. [5] [17] As of 2020,the family resided in Mount Laurel,New Jersey. [18] [17]
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