Leigh Martin May (née Leigh Holladay Martin; born February 21, 1971) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

Biography

May received a Bachelor of Science degree,

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

, in 1993 from the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

. She received 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 ...

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

, in 1998 from University of Georgia School of Law. From 1994 to 1995 she was a consultant to

Electronic Data Systems Electronic all cash BSN acc: 1311729000110205 Data Systems (EDS) was an American multinational information technology equipment and services company headquartered in Plano, Texas which was founded in 1962 by Ross Perot. The company was a subs ...

. From 1995 to 1998 she was a law clerk and later Editor-in-Chief of the ''

Georgia Law Review The Georgia Law Review is the flagship publication of the University of Georgia School of Law. It was established in 1966 and is run by second- and third-year law students, operating independently from the School of Law faculty and administration. ...

'' at the University of Georgia School of Law. From 1996 to 1997 she was in private practice in Atlanta and

Valdosta Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. As of 2019, Valdosta had an estimated population of 56,457. Valdosta is the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2021 had a ...

. From 1998 to 2000, she 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 ...

to Judge Dudley H. Bowen, Jr. of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. From 1999 to 2004 she was a bar examination grader for the Georgia Office of Bar Admissions. From 2000 to 2014, she was a partner at the Atlanta office of the law firm of Butler, Wooten & Fryhofer LLP, where her practice focused on complex civil litigation in both state and federal courts. She was formerly the Vice Chair of the Litigation Section of the Atlanta Bar Association.

Political activities

In 1994 and from 2002 to 2011 she volunteered and worked on election campaigns, reelection campaigns, and fundraisers of politicians of the Georgia Democratic Party. She also served on the Georgia State Democratic Committee, along with the Board of the Red Clay Democrats, and the board of the Civil Justice PAC.

Federal judicial service

On December 19, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated May to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, to the seat vacated by Judge

Beverly B. Martin Beverly Baldwin Martin (born August 7, 1955) is a former United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and a former United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern Dist ...

, who was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on February 1, 2010. She received a hearing before the full panel of the

United States 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 May 13, 2014. On June 19, 2014, her nomination was reported out of committee by voice vote. On September 18, 2014, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed for cloture on her nomination. On Wednesday, November 12, 2014, the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

voted to invoke cloture by a 67–30 vote. On Thursday, November 13, 2014, her nomination was confirmed by a 99–0 vote. She received her judicial commission on November 14, 2014.

References

External links

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Senate Judiciary Committee Questionnaire
{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Leigh Martin 1971 births Living people 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women judges Georgia Tech alumni Georgia (U.S. state) Democrats Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia People from Albany, Georgia United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama University of Georgia School of Law alumni