Doris Pryor

Doris Pryor
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 9, 2022
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byDavid Hamilton
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
In office
March 1, 2018 – December 9, 2022
Preceded byDenise K. LaRue
Succeeded byM. Kendra Klump
Personal details
Born
Doris Lenea Clark[1]

1977 (age 46–47)
Hope, Arkansas, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Central Arkansas (BS)
Indiana University (JD)

Doris Lenea Pryor (born 1977)[1] is an American lawyer who has served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit since 2022. She served as a United States magistrate judge for the Southern District of Indiana from 2018 to 2022.

Education

Pryor was born in Hope, Arkansas.[2] She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science, cum laude. She worked at a construction company from 1999 to 2000. She then attended the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, where she was an editor of the Federal Communications Law Journal and won the top oralist award at the school's moot court competition. She graduated in 2003 with a Juris Doctor.[3]

Career

After graduating law school, Pryor served as a law clerk for Chief Judge Lavenski Smith of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit from 2003 to 2004 and for Judge James Leon Holmes of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas from 2004 to 2005. From 2005 to 2006, she served as Deputy Public Defender for the Arkansas Public Defender's Commission. From 2006 to 2018, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana. She served as National Security Chief for the office from 2014 to 2018.[3] Pryor co-founded the REACH program,[4] a re-entry program that guides and supports former offenders who are at greater risk of returning to prison, in the Southern Indiana District Court.[5]

Federal judicial service

On November 17, 2017, Pryor was selected to serve as a United States magistrate judge to fill the vacancy left by the death of Magistrate Judge Denise K. LaRue.[2] She served as United States magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana from March 1, 2018 to December 9, 2022.[3][6]

On May 25, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Pryor to serve as a United States circuit judge for the Seventh Circuit.[3] President Biden nominated Pryor to the seat to be vacated by Judge David Hamilton, who announced his intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of his successor.[7] Senator Todd Young announced his support of Pryor's nomination in a statement shortly after President Biden nominated her.[8] On July 13, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[9] She was the first of Biden's court of appeals nominees to receive support from a state's two Republican senators.[10] On August 4, 2022, her nomination was favorably reported by the committee by a 13–9 vote.[11] On November 28, 2022, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture on her nomination.[12] On December 1, 2022, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 62–31 vote.[13] On December 5, 2022, her nomination was confirmed by a 60–31 vote.[14] She became the first African American woman from Indiana to serve on the 7th Circuit.[15] She received her judicial commission on December 9, 2022.[16] Pryor was the ninth African American woman confirmed as a U.S. circuit judge nominated by President Biden.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "AUSA Doris Pryor selected as United States Magistrate Judge" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Justice. December 19, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ a b c d "President Biden Names Eighteenth Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ "'Beautiful help' allows federal ex-offenders to remake lives". September 19, 2017.
  5. ^ "Magistrate Judge Pryor tapped for 7th Circuit". May 25, 2022.
  6. ^ "Judicial Milestones". March 1, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  7. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. May 25, 2022.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. ^ "Young Statement on Nomination of Judge Doris L. Pryor to Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: Newsroom of Senator Todd Young. May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  9. ^ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. July 12, 2022.
  10. ^ Wagner, Rose (July 13, 2022). "Republicans finally offer blue slip for Biden court nominee". Courthouse News Service.
  11. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – August 4, 2022" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  12. ^ "PN2192 — Doris L. Pryor — The Judiciary". Congress.gov. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  13. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Doris L. Pryor, of Indiana, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit)". United States Senate. December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  14. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Doris L. Pryor, of Indiana, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit)". United States Senate. December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Raymond, Nate (December 6, 2022). "U.S. Senate confirms first Black federal appellate judge from Indiana". Reuters.
  16. ^ Doris Pryor at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
2022–present 		Incumbent