Claire Claudia Cecchi (née Chadirjian; born January 18, 1964) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the District of New Jersey The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (in case citations, D.N.J.) is a federal court in the Third Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the ...

sitting in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.United States magistrate judge In United States federal courts, magistrate judges are judges appointed to assist U.S. district court judges in the performance of their duties. Magistrate judges generally oversee first appearances of criminal defendants, set bail, and conduct ...

in 2006.

Early life and education

Born in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, Cecchi graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1982. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

in 1986 and 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 law ...

from the

Fordham University School of Law Fordham University School of Law is the law school of Fordham University. The school is located in Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city. In 2013, 91% of the law school's first-time test take ...

in 1989.

Career

Following graduation from law school, Cecchi worked in the New York City Law Department, where she handled

litigation - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...

matters. She was an associate at Robinson, St. John & Wayne from 1992 to 1996 and its successor firm, Robinson, Lapidus & Livelli in 1996. From 1997 to 2001, Cecchi was an associate at the firm of Carpenter, Bennett & Morrissey and a partner from 2001 to 2004. Between 2005 and 2006, she worked as a partner at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP. Cecchi is a

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

, a director to the Historical Society of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and a master of the William J. Brennan, Jr./Arthur T. Vanderbilt American Inn of Court.

Federal judicial service

On the recommendation of Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, Cecchi was nominated to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

on December 1, 2010, to a seat vacated by Joseph A. Greenaway Jr., who was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on February 24, 2010. On June 14, 2011, 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 pow ...

confirmed Cecchi by a 98–0 vote. She received her commission on the same day.

Personal life

Cecchi met her husband, James Cecchi, in law school. James is a partner at Carella, Byrne, Cecchi, Brody & Agnello in Roseland, New Jersey.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cecchi, Claire C. 1964 births Living people Barnard College alumni Fordham University School of Law alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama 21st-century American judges United States magistrate judges American people of Italian descent 21st-century American women judges