Kai Niambi Scott (born 1970)
is an American attorney who is a
United States district judge
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...
of the
. She previously served as a judge on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas from 2015 to 2023.
Education
Scott earned a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree from
Hampton University
Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missiona ...
in 1991 and a
Juris Doctor
A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
from the
West Virginia University College of Law in 1995.
Career
From 1996 to 1998, Scott served as a law clerk for the Pennsylvania Bureau of
Workers Compensation
Workers' compensation or workers' comp is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her emp ...
. From 1998 to 2004, she was a
trial attorney
A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters.
The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as wel ...
for the
Defender Association of Philadelphia. She served as an assistant
federal public defender
In the United States, federal Public defender (United States), public defender organizations are entities in the Federal government of the United States, United States Federal Government, and their staffs are federal employees. Federal public defe ...
from 2004 to 2010. From 2010 to 2015, Scott served as the trial unit chief for the Federal Community Defender Office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She was elected to the
Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in 2015.
Federal judicial service
On July 12, 2022, President
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
nominated Scott to serve as a
United States district judge
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...
of the
. President Biden nominated Scott to the seat vacated by Judge
C. Darnell Jones II, who assumed
senior status on March 15, 2021. On September 7, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before the
Senate Judiciary Committee
The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally known as the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a Standing committee (United States Congress), standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the United States Departm ...
. On September 28, 2022, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 13–9 vote. On December 7, 2022, the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
invoked
cloture
Cloture (, ), closure or, informally, a guillotine, is a motion or process in parliamentary procedure aimed at bringing debate to a quick end.
The cloture procedure originated in the French National Assembly, from which the name is taken. is ...
on her nomination by a 52–42 vote. Later that day, her nomination was confirmed by a 50–42 vote. She received her judicial commission on January 18, 2023.
See also
*
List of African-American federal judges
This is a list of African Americans who have served as United States federal judge
In the United States, a federal judge is a judge who serves on a court established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. Often called "Article III ju ...
*
List of African-American jurists
This list includes individuals self-identified as African Americans who have made prominent contributions to the field of law in the United States, especially as eminent judges or legal scholars. Individuals who may have obtained law degrees o ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Kai
1970 births
Living people
20th-century American women lawyers
20th-century American lawyers
21st-century American women judges
21st-century American women lawyers
21st-century American lawyers
African-American judges
Hampton University alumni
Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas
Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Lawyers from Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Democrats
Pennsylvania lawyers
Public defenders
United States district court judges appointed by Joe Biden
West Virginia University College of Law alumni
20th-century African-American lawyers
21st-century African-American lawyers