Benita Yalonda Pearson (born February 1963) is 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 Northern District of Ohio and formerly a

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 ...

on the same court.

Early life and education

Born and raised in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

,Mike Tobin
Benita Pearson recommended to federal judgeship
''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

'' (July 21, 2009). Pearson earned 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 of ...

degree in accounting from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

in 1985 and then earned 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

Cleveland State University College of Law Cleveland State University College of Law is the law school of Cleveland State University, a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. The school traces its origins to Cleveland Law School (founded in 1897), which merged in 1946 with the John ...

in 1995.President Obama Nominates Nancy Freudenthal, Judge D. Price Marshall Jr. and Judge Benita Pearson to Serve on the District Court Bench
''

whitehouse.gov whitehouse.gov (also simply known as wh.gov) is the official website of the White House and is managed by the Office of Digital Strategy. It was launched on July 29, 1994 by the Clinton administration. The content of the website is in the ...

'' (December 4, 2009).

Career

From 1985 to 1992, Pearson worked for BP, first as a corporate accountant from 1985 to 1987 and then as a supervisor of retail marketing accounting from 1987 to 1990 and then in retail sales from 1990 to 1992. From 1992 to 1994, Pearson worked as a law clerk for a Cleveland law firm, and from 1995 to 1996, Pearson served as a litigation associate for a Cleveland law firm. From 1996 to 1998, Pearson served as a law clerk for Judge

John Michael Manos John Michael Manos (December 8, 1922 – July 6, 2006) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Early life and education Manos was born to Maria and Michael E. Manos on December 8, ...

of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. From 1998 until 2000, Pearson served as a general litigation associate for

Jones Day Jones Day is an American multinational law firm. As of 2021, it was the eighth largest law firm in the U.S. and the 13th highest grossing law firm in the world. Originally headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Jones Day ranks first in both M&A le ...

Reavis & Pogue in Cleveland. From 2000 to 2008, Pearson served as an

assistant United States attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. Attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gove ...

in Cleveland.

Federal judicial service

In August 2008, Pearson became a

of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. In July 2009, Pearson was recommended to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio by both Ohio Senators,

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Sherrod Brown Sherrod Campbell Brown (; born November 9, 1952) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Ohio, a seat which he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Ohio's ...

and Republican

George Voinovich George Victor Voinovich (July 15, 1936June 12, 2016) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Ohio from 1999 to 2011, the 65th governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1998 and the 54th mayor of Cleveland from 1980 to 1989, th ...

. On December 3, 2009, 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 ...

formally nominated Pearson to serve on the Northern District of Ohio. Pearson was chosen to fill the seat vacated by Judge Peter C. Economus, who assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on July 3, 2009. The

United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary 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, a ...

reported Pearson's nomination to the Senate on February 11, 2010. On December 21, 2010, her nomination was confirmed by the Senate by a 56–39 vote, with George Voinovich of Ohio casting the lone Republican affirmative vote.On the Nomination (Confirmation Benita Y. Pearson, of Ohio to be U.S. District Judge)
''senate.gov'' December 21, 2010.David Skolnick
First black female federal judge in Ohio to serve in Youngstown
'' The Vindicator'' (December 22, 2010). She received her commission on December 27, 2010. She became the first African-American woman to hold a federal judgeship in Ohio.James F. McCarty
Cleveland woman confirmed by U.S. Senate to federal bench in Youngstown
''

'' (December 21, 2010).

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pearson, Benita Y. 1963 births Living people 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women judges African-American judges Assistant United States Attorneys BP people Cleveland State University College of Law alumni Georgetown University alumni Jones Day people Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Lawyers from Cleveland United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama United States magistrate judges

Early life and education

Career

Federal judicial service

See also

References

External links