Sharon Prost (born May 24, 1951) is a United States circuit judge of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (in case citations, Fed. Cir. or C.A.F.C.) is a United States court of appeals that has special appellate jurisdiction over certain types of specialized cases in the U.S. federal cou ...

Education

Prost was born in

Newburyport Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. She received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

in 1973, a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

from

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presi ...

in 1975, a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

from

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was cha ...

Washington College of Law The American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL or WCL) is the law school of American University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It is located on the western side of Tenley Circle in the Tenleytown section of nort ...

in 1979, and a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mo ...

from

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of co ...

in 1984.

Career

Prior to her confirmation to the Federal Circuit, Prost had served as a lawyer at the

Senate Judiciary Committee The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations ...

from 1993 to 2001, lastly as Chief Counsel. Although the Republicans were in the minority at the time of Prost's nomination, her eight years of service for the committee would have ensured that she was well known by all committee members. Before working for the Senate, she served as an attorney at the

Federal Labor Relations Authority The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) is an independent agency of the United States government that governs labor relations between the federal government and its employees. Created by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, it is a quasi ...

from 1980 to 1983, the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...

from 1983 to 1984 and the National Labor Relations Board from 1984 to 1989. Before that she was an auditor and labor relations specialist for the

Government Accountability Office The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a legislative branch government agency that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services for the United States Congress. It is the supreme audit institution of the federal gover ...

from 1976 to 1980 and a labor relations specialist for the

United States Civil Service Commission The United States Civil Service Commission was a government agency of the federal government of the United States and was created to select employees of federal government on merit rather than relationships. In 1979, it was dissolved as part of t ...

from 1973 to 1976. She also served as Chief Labor Counsel for the minority at the

United States Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources The United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) generally considers matters relating to these issues. Its jurisdiction also extends beyond these issues to include several more specific areas, as defined by Sena ...

from 1989 to 1993.

Federal judicial service

Prost was nominated to the

by President George W. Bush on May 21, 2001, to fill a seat vacated by Judge S. Jay Plager. The

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

confirmed Prost's confirmation on September 21, 2001, by a 97–0 vote.On the Nomination (Sharon Prost, of the District of Columbia, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Federal Circuit)
/ref> Prost was Bush's first appointment to the Federal Circuit. She received her commission on September 24, 2001. On May 23, 2014, Prost was named

Chief Judge A chief judge (also known as presiding judge, president judge or principal judge) is the highest-ranking or most senior member of a lower court or circuit court with more than one judge. According to the Federal judiciary of the United States, th ...

of the Federal Circuit, succeeding Chief Judge

Randall Rader Randall Ray Rader (born April 21, 1949) is a former United States Circuit Judge and former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Early life, education, and career Born in Hastings, Nebraska, Rader received a ...

effective May 30, 2014. Her term as Chief Judge ended on May 22, 2021, and she was succeeded by Kimberly A. Moore.

References

Sources

*
DOES FATHER KNOW BEST?, Time Magazine, March 20, 1995Confirmation hearings on federal appointments : hearings before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundred Seventh Congress, first session. 4.J 89/2:S.HRG.107-584/ pt.1
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prost, Sharon 1951 births Living people 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women judges Cornell University alumni George Washington University Law School alumni George Washington University School of Business alumni Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit People from Newburyport, Massachusetts United States court of appeals judges appointed by George W. Bush Washington College of Law alumni