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Monday, January 18, 2010
Ind. Courts - "Senator Bayh Makes Historic Judicial Announcements"
Here is the complete text of Senator Bayh's press release:
Indianapolis – Senator Evan Bayh today announced the nomination of three Hoosiers for lifetime appointments to the federal bench, breaking a major judicial barrier in Indiana on the Martin Luther King, Jr., federal holiday.At a press conference at the Birch Bayh Federal Building where he once served as a law clerk, Bayh announced that the White House had accepted his recommendation to submit for Senate approval three “outstanding, mainstream Hoosiers” to become U.S. district court judges.
The nominees are Tanya Walton Pratt and Jane Magnus-Stinson for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana and Jon DeGuilio for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
President Barack Obama will formally nominate each when the Senate reconvenes this week after its winter recess.
“Today, we take a historic step in creating a more diverse federal judiciary in our state,” Bayh said. “These highly qualified individuals have impeccable records and rich backgrounds that will help move us closer to our goal of realizing equal justice under law.”
Bayh added, “Mr. DeGuilio, Judge Magnus-Stinson and Judge Pratt have each shown themselves to be deserving of the public trust. They have demonstrated the highest ethical standards and a firm commitment to applying our country’s laws fairly and faithfully. They know their job is to interpret our laws, not write them.”
Senator Bayh made these recommendations after close consultation with Senator Dick Lugar. Bayh and Lugar have a history of making bipartisan judicial recommendations regardless of which political party is in power, most recently recommending Judges John Tinder and David Hamilton for seats on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
“Senator Bayh has discussed with me his strong support for judge candidates Superior Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt, former U.S. Attorney Jon DeGuilio and Magistrate Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson, and I appreciate his deliberative process,” Senator Lugar said. “I look forward to Senate confirmation of these Hoosier nominees.”
All three judicial nominees announced today are “recognized leaders in the Indiana legal community,” Bayh said. All three have “demonstrated the experience, insight, and non-ideological temperament that Hoosiers expect from their judges,” he added.
If confirmed, Magnus-Stinson and Pratt will double the number of female federal district judges in Indiana history. Their confirmation would mark a major step forward in creating a more diverse federal judiciary. Pratt would become the first African-American federal judge in Indiana history.
As Indiana governor, Bayh appointed the first African-American judge to the Indiana Supreme Court when he appointed Myra C. Selby to the state’s high court in 1995. Prior to that, Bayh appointed the first African-American judge in state history to the Indiana Court of Appeals with the appointment of then-Judge Robert Rucker. Justice Rucker now sits on the Indiana Supreme Court.
Biographical information about today’s U.S. District Court nominees:
Jon E. DeGuilio: DeGuilio served as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana from 1993 to 1999. He is currently Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary for NorthWest Indiana Bancorp/Executive Vice President for Peoples Bank. DeGulio received his law degree from Valparaiso University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from University of Notre Dame. He is a former partner with the law firm of Barnes & Thornburg.
Magistrate Judge Jane E. Magnus-Stinson: Jane Magnus-Stinson was appointed U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Indiana in 2007. Prior to that, she served as a judge in the Marion Superior Court from 1995 to 2007. Magnus-Stinson served as legal counsel and deputy chief of staff to then-Governor Evan Bayh from 1991 to 1995. She maintained a civil litigation practice at the firm of Lewis & Wagner from 1983 to 1990. She is a 1983 graduate of Indiana University School of Law at Indianapolis and a 1979 graduate of Butler University.
Judge Tanya Walton Pratt: Judge Tanya Walton Pratt currently serves as a judge in the probate division of Marion Superior Court. From 1997 to 2008, she was a judge in that court’s criminal division, where she handled major felonies and presided over 20 to 35 jury trials annually. Before that, she worked as an attorney in private practice and as a deputy public defender in Marion Superior Court. Walton Pratt is a graduate of Spelman College and Howard University School of Law.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on January 18, 2010 03:27 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts