Kenia Seoane Lopez (born January 14, 1974) is an American attorney and jurist serving as an associate judge of the

Superior Court of the District of Columbia The Superior Court of the District of Columbia, commonly referred to as DC Superior Court, is the trial court for the District of Columbia, in the United States. It hears cases involving criminal and civil law, as well as family court, landlor ...

. She previously served as a magistrate judge of the same court from 2012 to 2022.

Early life and education

Lopez was born in Santiago de Cuba,

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and moved to the United States before her 10th birthday. Lopez earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in ...

in 1997, a Master of Arts in Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian studies from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

, 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

University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the professional graduate law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the school was founded in 1868. The University of Wisconsin Law School is guided by a "law in ...

in 2002.

Career

After law school, Lopez was a clerk for the

Massachusetts Superior Court The Massachusetts Superior Court (also known as the Superior Court Department of the Trial Court) is a trial court department in Massachusetts. The Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over $50,000, and in matters where equita ...

. She then joined office of the

attorney general for the District of Columbia The Attorney General for the District of Columbia is the chief legal officer of the District of Columbia. While attorneys general previously were appointed by the mayor, District of Columbia voters approved a charter amendment in 2010 that ...

, working in the legal services division of the child support department. She later served as a bilingual attorney negotiator in the domestic violence division of the

. She was nominated as a magistrate judge of the Superior Court in 2012. In June 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Lopez as a judge of the Superior Court. On September 14, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee The United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is the chief oversight committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over matters related to the Department of Homeland Security and other homeland s ...

. On October 6, 2021, her nomination was reported out of committee by a

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "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 responding vo ...

. On February 1, 2022, cloture was invoked on her nomination in a 59–38 vote. On February 2, she was confirmed by a 59–38 vote. She was sworn in on February 25, 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Kenia Seoane 1974 births Living people 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women judges 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers American judges of Cuban descent Hispanic and Latino American judges Judges of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia Naturalized citizens of the United States Northeastern University alumni People from Palma Soriano University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni