Carolyn Nancy Lerner (born January 13, 1965) is an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

who is a

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the United States Court of Federal Claims.

Early life and education

Lerner was born on January 13, 1965, in Detroit. She received her

Bachelor of General Studies A Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) is a highly interdisciplinary undergraduate academic degree offered by colleges and universities that "allows students to combine and explore multiple subjects." The concept of general studies derives from the ...

with distinction, from the Honors College at the University of Michigan in 1986 and her

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

Legal and academic career

Lerner served as a law clerk for Chief Judge

Julian A. Cook Julian Abele Cook Jr. (June 22, 1930 – May 16, 2017) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Education and career Born in Washington, D.C., Cook was the son and only child o ...

of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. From 1991 to 1996, she was a litigation attorney at Kator, Scott, Heller & Huron in Washington, D.C. 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 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. Lerner is an adjunct law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, 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, 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 cou ...

. Since 2017, she has been the chief circuit mediator for the U.S. Courts of the D.C. Circuit.

Claims court service

On June 30, 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Lerner to serve as a

of the United States Court of Federal Claims. On July 13, 2021, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Lerner to the seat vacated by Judge

Margaret M. Sweeney Margaret Mary Sweeney (born 1955) is a Senior judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims, appointed to that court in 2005 by President George W. Bush. She served as chief judge from July 12, 2018 to October 19, 2020. Early life, educati ...

, who assumed senior status on October 23, 2020. A hearing on her nomination before the Senate Judiciary Committee 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, with Senators Mike Lee, Josh Hawley, and Marsha Blackburn voting "nay" on record. On December 18, 2021, the Senate confirmed Lerner by a voice vote. She received her judicial commission on February 17, 2022.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lerner, Carolyn N. 1965 births Living people 20th-century American women lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American judges 21st-century American lawyers 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 21st-century American women judges