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Tamika Montgomery-Reeves
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 7, 2023
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byThomas L. Ambro
Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court
In office
January 3, 2020 – February 7, 2023
Appointed byJohn Carney
Preceded byCollins J. Seitz Jr.
Succeeded byN. Christopher Griffiths
Vice Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery
In office
October 28, 2015 – January 3, 2020
Appointed byJack Markell
Preceded byDonald Parsons
Succeeded byPaul A. Fioravanti Jr.
Personal details
Born
Tamika Renee Montgomery

(1981-04-29) April 29, 1981 (age 43)
Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseJeffrey Reeves
Children2
EducationUniversity of Mississippi (BA)
University of Georgia (JD)

Tamika Renee Montgomery-Reeves[1] (born April 29, 1981)[2][3] is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She previously served as an Associate Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court.[4]

Early life and education

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Montgomery was born in Jackson, Mississippi, to Dewrey and Bettye (nee Cribbs) Montgomery.[5] She received a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from the University of Mississippi in 2003[6] and a Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2006.[7]

Career

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Montgomery-Reeves practiced at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Wilmington where she focused on corporate governance and commercial litigation. She also practiced at Weil Gotshal & Manges in New York City, where she focused on corporate governance and securities litigation.[7] Montgomery-Reeves was appointed Vice Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery in 2015 and has worked pro bono with the Prisoners' Rights Project.[8][9] Montgomery-Reeves joined Chief Justice Collins J. Seitz Jr. on the steering committee of a group that completed a strategic plan for increasing diversity in Delaware's judiciary and legal community.[10]

Delaware judicial service

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On October 13, 2015, Delaware Governor Jack Markell nominated Montgomery-Reeves to the Delaware Court of Chancery to succeed Vice Chancellor Donald F. Parsons[6]

On October 24, 2019, Governor John Carney announced the nomination of Montgomery-Reeves to be a justice of the Delaware Supreme Court, to fill the vacancy left by the elevation of Collins J. Seitz Jr. to Chief Justice.[7] On November 7, 2019, her nomination was confirmed by the Delaware Senate. She was the first African-American justice on that court.[11] She was sworn into office on January 3, 2020.[12] In 2021, Montgomery-Reeves wrote the majority opinion holding that Senate records submitted to the University of Delaware archives by President Biden were not subject to demands under the Delaware Freedom of Information Act.[13] Her service as a justice of the Delaware Supreme Court ended on February 7, 2023, when she was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.[14]

Federal judicial service

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On June 29, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Montgomery-Reeves to serve as a United States circuit judge for the Third Circuit.[15] On July 11, 2022, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Montgomery-Reeves to the seat vacated by Judge Thomas L. Ambro, who announced his intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor.[16] On September 7, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[17] Montgomery-Reeves was unanimously rated "well qualified" for the judgeship by the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary.[18]

During her confirmation hearing, Republican senators questioned Montgomery-Reeves about a strategic plan to increase diversity in Delaware's judiciary. The plan was based on recommendations made by the Delaware Supreme Court's Diversity Strategic Planning Steering Committee, which Montgomery-Reeves had co-chaired. She was asked about a recommendation that prospective lawyers be able to use clerkships and recommendations in lieu of passing the bar exam, which the committee said was a barrier to minority people. The committee also recommended that portraits of white judges and justices be removed from courthouses as a way to "reduce implicit bias and identity threat in the court environment." Montgomery-Reeves distanced herself from these recommendations by saying that she had neither written nor edited any of them despite being committee co-chair.[19] On September 28, 2022, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 13–9 vote.[20] On December 8, 2022, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 57–39 vote.[21] On December 12, 2022, her nomination was confirmed by a 53–35 vote.[22] She received her judicial commission on February 7, 2023.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Journal of intellectual property law, Volume 13
  2. ^ Fast-riser earns spot on Chancery Court
  3. ^ United States Public Records, 1970-2009 (Mississippi, 2007)
  4. ^ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JANUARY 3, 2020 - The Honorable Tamika R. Montgomery-Reeves takes the Oath of Office for Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court
  5. ^ "Tamika Montgomery-Reeves (1981– )". May 26, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Governor Markell Announces Judicial Nominations for Court of Chancery, Family Court". State of Delaware News. October 13, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c "Governor Carney Announces Delaware Supreme Court Nominations". State of Delaware News. October 24, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  8. ^ "Tamika Montgomery-Reeves historic rise to del. Supreme CRT".
  9. ^ "Hon. Tamika R. Montgomery-Reeves - Practising Law Institute".
  10. ^ "Biden taps Justice Montgomery-Reeves for fed court". June 30, 2022.
  11. ^ "Delaware Senate confirms state Supreme Court picks". SFChronicle.com. November 7, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  12. ^ "The Honorable Tamika R. Montgomery-Reeves takes the Oath of Office for Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court" (Press release). Delaware Courts. January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  13. ^ "Del. Justices Mostly Uphold FOIA Block on Biden Senate Docs - Law360".
  14. ^ a b Tamika Montgomery-Reeves at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  15. ^ "President Biden Names Twentieth Round of Judicial Nominees". June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  16. ^ "Nominations and Withdrawals Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. July 11, 2022.
  17. ^ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. August 31, 2022.
  18. ^ Ratings of Article III and Article IV Judicial Nominees: 117th Congress, American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary (last updated December 12, 2022).
  19. ^ Raymond, Nate. "GOP grill Biden judicial nominee over views on bar exam racial bias reform".
  20. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – September 29, 2022" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  21. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Tamika R. Montgomery-Reeves, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit)". United States Senate. December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  22. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Tamika R. Montgomery-Reeves, of Delaware, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit)". United States Senate. December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
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Legal offices
Preceded by Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court
2020–2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
2023–present 		Incumbent
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