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Sarah Geraghty

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sarah Geraghty
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
Assumed office
April 8, 2022
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byAmy Totenberg
Personal details
Born
Sarah Elisabeth Geraghty

1974 (age 49–50)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
EducationNorthwestern University (BA)
University of Michigan (MSW, JD)

Sarah Elisabeth Geraghty (born 1974)[1] is an American lawyer from Georgia who serves as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. She previously was senior counsel for the Southern Center for Human Rights.

Education

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Geraghty received her Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University in 1996, her Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan School of Social Work in 1998 and her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School in 1999.[2]

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Geraghty served as a law clerk for Judge James Zagel of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois from 2000 to 2002. From 2002 to 2003, she was a staff attorney with the Office of the Appellate Defender in New York. From 2003 to 2022, she was with the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta and from 2015 to 2020 served as managing attorney of the Impact Litigation Unit.[2]

Federal judicial service

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On September 30, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Geraghty to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. President Biden nominated Geraghty to the seat vacated by Judge Amy Totenberg, who assumed senior status on April 3, 2021.[3] On December 1, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[4] On January 3, 2022, her nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate;[5] she was later renominated the same day.[6] On January 20, 2022, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–10 vote.[7] On March 16, 2022, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 49–46 vote.[8] On March 31, 2022, her nomination was confirmed by a 52–48 vote.[9] She received her judicial commission on April 8, 2022.[10]

Notable rulings

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On August 21, 2023, she blocked a Georgia law banning hormone therapy for transgender minors,[11][12] but the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit overturned her ruling, which prompted her to allow the ban to be enforced on September 5, 2023.[13][14]

References

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  1. ^ "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "President Biden Names Eighth Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. September 30, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. December 1, 2021.
  5. ^ "PN1210 - Nomination of Sarah Elisabeth Geraghty for The Judiciary, 117th Congress (2021–2022)". www.congress.gov. January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  6. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. January 3, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  7. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – January 20, 2022" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  8. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Sarah Elizabeth Geraghty to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia)". United States Senate. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  9. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Sarah Elizabeth Geraghty to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia)". United States Senate. March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  10. ^ Sarah Geraghty at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  11. ^ "Judge partially blocks Georgia ban on hormone therapy for transgender minors". NBC News. August 21, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  12. ^ "Judge blocks Georgia law banning hormone therapy for transgender minors". fox5atlanta.com. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  13. ^ "Georgia can resume enforcing ban on hormone therapy for trans youths, judge says". NBC News. September 5, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  14. ^ Pazanowski, Mary Anne (September 6, 2023). "Georgia Gets Go-Ahead to Enforce Gender-Affirming Care Ban". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
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Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
2022–present
Incumbent