Fabiana Pierre-Louis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fabiana Pierre-Louis | |
|---|---|
| Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court | |
| Assumed office September 1, 2020 | |
| Appointed by | Phil Murphy |
| Preceded by | Walter F. Timpone |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 9, 1980 New York City, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Robert Reeves |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Rutgers University, New Brunswick (BA) Rutgers University, Camden (JD) |
Fabiana Pierre-Louis (born September 9, 1980)[1] is an American attorney and jurist serving as a justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. She is the first Black woman to serve on the court. Pierre-Louis had previously worked as attorney-in-charge of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey's Trenton and Camden branches, and as a partner at the law firm of Montgomery McCracken.
Pierre-Louis was born in New York City and spent her early childhood in Brooklyn before moving to Irvington, New Jersey.[2][3][4] She is the daughter of Haitian American immigrants[4][5] and speaks Haitian Creole fluently.[6]
Pierre-Louis graduated from Union Catholic Regional High School in 1998.[7] She earned a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School.[4]
Career
Pierre-Louis served as a law clerk for New Jersey Supreme Court Justice John E. Wallace Jr. Pierre-Louis worked for almost ten years as an assistant United States attorney in the office of United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, and served as the attorney-in-charge of the U.S. Attorney's Trenton and Camden branches. After leaving that position she became a partner at the law firm of Montgomery McCracken in its Cherry Hill office.[8][6]
On June 5, 2020, Governor Phil Murphy announced his intention to nominate Pierre-Louis to the New Jersey Supreme Court[4][8] to replace Walter F. Timpone, who was approaching the state's mandatory retirement age for judges.[9] On August 24, 2020, the New Jersey Senate's Judiciary Committee voted 11–0 to advance her nomination to the full Senate,[10][11] and on August 27, 2020, the Senate voted 39–0 to confirm her to the Court.[12][13][14]
Pierre-Louis was sworn in on September 1, 2020, one day after Justice Timpone stepped down.[9] She is the first Black woman to serve on the court.[15]
In 2023, the White House considered nominating Pierre-Louis for a vacancy on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, however she withdrew her name from consideration.[16]
