Carolyn Nancy Lerner (born January 13, 1965) is an American lawyer who serves as a

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

of the

United States Court of Federal Claims The United States Court of Federal Claims (in case citations, Fed. Cl. or C.F.C.) is a United States federal courts, United States federal court that hears monetary claims against the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government. It ...

Early life and education

Lerner was born on January 13, 1965, in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. She received her

Bachelor of General Studies A Bachelor of General Studies or a Bachelor in General Studies (BGS) is a highly interdisciplinary undergraduate academic degree offered by higher education institutions that "allows students to combine and explore multiple subjects." The concep ...

with distinction, from the Honors College at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1986 and her

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

New York University Law School The New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it was the first law school established in New York City and is the oldest survivin ...

in 1989, where she was a Root-Tilden Scholar."President Biden Names Fifth Round of Judicial Nominees", White House, June 30, 2021

Career

Lerner served as a law clerk for Chief Judge Julian A. Cook of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (in case citations, E.D. Mich.) is the United States district court, federal district court with jurisdiction over the eastern half of the Lower Peninsula of the State of M ...

. From 1991 to 1996, she was a litigation attorney at Kator, Scott, Heller & Huron in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

In 1997, she was a founding partner of the law firm Heller, Huron, Chertkof, Lerner, Simon & Salzman, practicing at that firm until 2011. From 2003 to 2005, she served as the Special Inspector for the Office of Special Inspector at the D.C. Department of Corrections. She was also the

Special Master In the law of the United States, a special master is an official appointed by a judge to ensure judicial orders are followed, or in the alternative, to hear evidence on behalf of the judge and make recommendations to the judge as to the dispositi ...

for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in a sexual harassment and retaliation class action. She was previously unanimously confirmed to head the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, where she served from 2011 to 2017. Since 2018, Lerner has been an adjunct law professor at

Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...

, and was previously an adjunct law professor at

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest law school in Washington, D. ...

from 2007 to 2010. From 2017 to 2022, she was the chief circuit mediator for the U.S. Courts of the D.C. Circuit.

Claims court service

On June 30, 2021, 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 ...

announced his intent to nominate Lerner to serve as a

of the

. On July 13, 2021, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Lerner to the seat vacated by Judge Margaret M. Sweeney, who assumed senior status on October 23, 2020. A hearing on her nomination 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 ...

was scheduled to take place on August 11, 2021, but was postponed. On October 6, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On October 28, 2021, her nomination was reported out of committee by a

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "by live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by respondin ...

, with Senators

Mike Lee Michael Shumway Lee (born June 4, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Utah, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Lee became Utah's senior senator in 2019, whe ...

Josh Hawley Joshua David Hawley (born December 31, 1979) is an American politician and attorney serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Missouri, a seat he has held since 2019. A member ...

, and

Marsha Blackburn Mary Marsha Blackburn (née Wedgeworth; born June 6, 1952) is an American politician and businesswoman serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Tennessee. Blackburn was first ...

voting "nay" on record. On December 18, 2021, the Senate confirmed Lerner by a

. She received her judicial commission on February 17, 2022. She took the oath of office on February 18, 2022.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lerner, Carolyn N. 1965 births Living people 20th-century American women lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American women judges 21st-century American women lawyers George Washington University Law School faculty Georgetown University Law Center faculty Judges of the United States Court of Federal Claims Lawyers from Detroit Lawyers from Washington, D.C. New York University School of Law alumni United States Article I federal judges appointed by Joe Biden University of Michigan alumni