Kristine G. Baker

Kristine Gerhard Baker
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
Incumbent
Assumed office May 8, 2012
Appointed by	Barack Obama
Preceded by	James Maxwell Moody
Personal details
Born	Kristine Anne Gerhard (1971-03-30) March 30, 1971 (age 49) Colorado Springs, Colorado
Education	Saint Louis University (B.A.) University of Arkansas School of Law (J.D.)

Kristine Anne Gerhard Baker (born March 30, 1971) is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

Biography

Kristine Gerhard Baker was born Kristine Anne Gerhard on March 30, 1971, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. ^[1] She received a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, in 1993 from Saint Louis University. She received her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, in 1996 from the University of Arkansas School of Law. She served as a law clerk for then Chief Judge Susan Webber Wright of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas from 1996 to 1998. She then worked at the law firm of William & Anderson from 1998 to 2000. She joined the law firm of Quattlebaum, Grooms, Tull & Burrow, located in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2000 and became a partner in 2002. In practice, her legal specialties were commercial litigation, employment law, and First Amendment litigation. ^{[2] [3]}

Federal judicial service

On November 2, 2011, President Obama nominated Baker to be a District Judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. ^[2] She replaced District Judge James Maxwell Moody who took senior status on October 1, 2008. She received her hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 26, 2012, and her nomination was reported to the floor on February 16, 2012, by voice vote, with Senator Mike Lee recording the only no vote. On May 7, 2012, her nomination was confirmed by voice vote. She received her commission on May 8, 2012. ^[3]

Notable case

On April 15, 2017, Judge Baker blocked executions by the State of Arkansas, citing concerns over the use of midazolam. Arkansas had planned to execute eight prisoners in the two weeks before the expiration date on one of the state's lethal injection drugs. ^[4]

On July 23, 2019, Judge Baker blocked three anti-abortion bills from going into effect. ^[5]

References

1. "Ms. Baker's biography at martindale.com". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
2. "President Obama Nominates Kristine Gerhard Baker to United States District Court". whitehouse.gov . 2 November 2011 – via National Archives.
3. "Baker, Kristine Gerhard – Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
4. Blinder, Alan (16 April 2017). "Federal Judge Blocks Arkansas Executions". The New York Times . p. A1. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
5. "Federal Judge blocks Arkansas Anti-Abortion laws for now". Archived from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.

External links

• Kristine G. Baker at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges , a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center .
• Kristine Gerhard Baker at Ballotpedia

Legal offices
Preceded by James Maxwell Moody	Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas 2012–present	Incumbent