Sarah Pitlyk

Sarah Elizabeth Pitlyk (born 1977) is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

Sarah Pitlyk
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
Assumed office
December 5, 2019
Appointed byDonald Trump
Preceded byCatherine D. Perry
Personal details
Born
Sarah Elizabeth Martin

1977 (age 42–43)
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
EducationBoston College (B.A.)
Georgetown University (M.A.)
KU Leuven (M.A.)
Yale Law School (J.D.)

Education

Pitlyk earned her Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from Boston College. She received Master of Arts degrees from both Georgetown University and KU Leuven (Belgium), where she studied as a Fulbright Scholar. Pitlyk earned her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.[1]

Upon graduation from law school, Pitlyk served as a law clerk to then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She worked at Clark & Sauer LLC, a civil litigation firm in St. Louis, Missouri, and was an associate at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C. She was special counsel at the Thomas More Society, where her practice focused on constitutional and civil rights litigation.[1]

In 2018, Pitlyk supported Brett Kavanaugh, whom she had clerked for, during his Supreme Court nomination.[2]

Federal judicial service

On August 14, 2019, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Pitlyk to serve as a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. On September 9, 2019, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Pitlyk to the seat vacated by Judge Catherine D. Perry, who took senior status on December 31, 2018.[3]

On September 24, 2019, the American Bar Association (ABA) rated Pitlyk as "Not Qualified." The ABA said Pitlyk's rating was based on her lack of trial experience.[4] The ABA's rating drew criticism and charges of ideological bias from several Republican Senators.[5] Pitlyk said one reason she had never tried a case and never taken a deposition is that she has been a member of legal teams that have allowed her to arrange her schedule in order to spend more time with her children.[6]

On September 25, 2019, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[7] At the hearing, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin expressed concerns about Pitlyk's lack of trial experience,[6] and other Democratic Senators including Richard Blumenthal asked her about her pro-life views; she responded that her personal views would not affect her work as a judge. As a lawyer, Pitlyk had argued that frozen embryos from in vitro fertilisation should legally be considered human beings, and she wrote an amicus brief stating that "surrogacy has grave effects on society."[8] On October 31, 2019, her nomination was reported out of committee by a party-line 12–10 vote.[9] On December 3, 2019, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a vote of 50–43,[10] with Maine senator Susan Collins casting the sole dissenting Republican vote.[11] On December 4, 2019, her nomination was confirmed by the full Senate by a vote of 49–44.[12] She received her judicial commission on December 5, 2019, and was sworn into office on December 6, 2019.[13]

Memberships

She has been a member of the Federalist Society since 2006.[14]

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References
  1. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees, United States Attorney Nominees, and United States Marshal Nominees" White House, August 14, 2019 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. Thomsen, Jacqueline (August 14, 2019). "Former Alito Clerk Steven Menashi Gets Trump Nod for 2nd Circuit". Law.com. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  3. "Seventeen Nominations and Two Withdrawals Sent to the Senate", White House, September 9, 2019
  4. Updated 11:57 AM ET, Thu October 31, 2019 (2019-10-31). "'Not qualified' rating and accusation from American Bar Association moves Trump nominee to tears - CNNPolitics". Cnn.com. Retrieved 2019-12-05.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Cassens Weiss, Debra (September 26, 2019). "GOP senators clash over ABA during hearing for judicial nominee rated 'not qualified'". ABA Journal. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  6. Ryan, Tim (September 25, 2019). "Democrats Grill Pick for Missouri Court on Anti-Abortion Work". Courthouse News. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  7. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for September 25, 2019
  8. Clift, Eleanor (October 1, 2019). "Trump's March of the Hard-Right Judges: The Latest Nominee Opposes In-Vitro Fertilization: Last week brought the confirmation hearing for St. Louis' Sarah Pitlyk, who takes her pro-life views a little further than most". Daily Beast. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  9. Results of Executive Business Meeting – October 31, 2019, Senate Judiciary Committee
  10. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Sarah E. Pitlyk to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri)". United States Senate. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  11. "Trump nominee who is anti-IVF and surrogacy was deemed unqualified. She was just confirmed.", by Reis ThebaultThe Washington Post, December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  12. On the Nomination (Confirmation: Sarah E. Pitlyk, of Missouri, to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri)
  13. "SARAH E. PITLYK SWORN IN AS UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE". www.moed.uscourts.gov. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  14. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Sarah Pitlyk
Legal offices
Preceded by
Catherine D. Perry		 Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
2019–present		 Incumbent
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