Matthew F. Leitman | |
|---|---|
 Letiman in 2013 | |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan | |
| Assumed office March 14, 2014 | |
| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Marianne Battani |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1968 (age 56–57) Detroit,Michigan,U.S. |
| Education | University of Michigan (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
Matthew Frederick Leitman (born 1968) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Leitman was born in 1968,in Detroit. [1] He received a Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude,in 1990 from the University of Michigan. He received a Juris Doctor,magna cum laude,in 1993 from Harvard Law School. He served as a law clerk to Justice Charles L. Levin of the Michigan Supreme Court from 1993 to 1994. From 1994 to 2004,he worked at the law firm of Miro Weiner &Kramer P.C. in Bloomfield Hills,Michigan. From 2004 until his move to the federal bench,he served as a principal at the law firm of Miller Canfield P.L.C. in Troy,Michigan,where he handled complex commercial litigation,criminal defense,and appellate matters before both state and federal courts. [2] [3]
On July 25,2013,President Barack Obama nominated Leitman to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan,to the seat vacated by Judge Marianne Battani,who assumed senior status on June 10,2012. [2] On January 16,2014,his nomination was reported out of committee by a voice vote. [4] On March 11,2014,the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 55–43 vote. [5] On March 12,2014,his nomination was confirmed by a 98–0 vote. [6] He received his judicial commission on March 14,2014. [3]
On May 23,2014,Leitman ruled that Congressman John Conyers (D-MI 13th) could remain on the election ballot despite a dispute over the validity of signatures on his nominating petition. Michigan election law requires at least 1,000 signatures of registered voters for a candidate to be included on a ballot;Conyers submitted 2,000 signatures,but most were ruled invalid by a county judge on the grounds that they were not collected by registered voters as required by law. The constitutionality of this signature-gathering requirement was challenged in a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union,and Leitman issued an injunction ordering that Conyers be put back on the ballot,finding that plaintiffs "have shown a substantial likelihood of success" and "time is of the essence". [7] [8]