Katherine Marie Menendez (born 1971) is an American attorney 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 Minnesota The United States District Court for the District of Minnesota (in case citations, D. Minn.) is the United States district court, federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Minnesota. Its two primary courthouses are in Minneapoli ...

. She served as a magistrate judge of the same court.

Early life and education

Menendez was born in

Emporia, Kansas Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 24,139. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 ...

. She earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

in 1993 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

New York University School of Law 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 is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in New ...

in 1997.

Career

From 1996 to 1997, Menendez served as a

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

for Judge

Samuel James Ervin III Samuel James Ervin III (March 2, 1926 – September 18, 1999) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the son of United States Senator Sam Ervin. Education and career Ervin was born in ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maryla ...

. She became an assistant federal defender in 1999 and served in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Minnesota until 2016.

United States magistrate judge

In March 2016, she was selected as 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 ...

to replace retiring Judge Jeffrey J. Keyes. She was sworn in on April 28, 2016. Her service as a magistrate terminated upon her elevation as a district court judge.

District court service

On September 8, 2021,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Menendez to serve as a

of the

. On September 20, 2021, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Menendez to the seat vacated by Judge

Joan N. Ericksen Joan N. Ericksen (born October 11, 1954) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a Senior Status, senior United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. Early life ...

, 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 October 15, 2019. On November 3, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before 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, a ...

. On December 2, 2021, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 15–7 vote. On December 17, 2021, 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 ...

invoked cloture on her nomination by a 49–21 vote. On December 18, 2021, her nomination was confirmed by a 49–21 vote. She received her judicial commission on December 21, 2021.

Notable cases

On March 31, 2023, Menendez struck down Minnesota age limits on carrying firearms. On April 24, 2023, following an emergency motion filed by the Commissioner of Public Safety, Bob Jacobson, and various county sheriffs, Menendez granted a stay on the order, effectively putting a pause on the ruling. As of April 29, 2023, the ruling is pending.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Menendez, Katherine M. 1971 births Living people 20th-century American women lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American women judges Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota Minnesota lawyers New York University School of Law alumni People from Emporia, Kansas Public defenders United States district court judges appointed by Joe Biden United States magistrate judges University of Chicago alumni