Tamika Renee Montgomery-Reeves (born April 29, 1981) is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She previously served as an Associate Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court.FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JANUARY 3, 2020 - The Honorable Tamika R. Montgomery-Reeves takes the Oath of Office for Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court
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Early life and education

Montgomery was born in Jackson, Mississippi, to Dewrey and Bettye (''nee'' Cribbs) Montgomery. She received a Bachelor of Arts, ''

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 ...

'', from the University of Mississippi in 2003 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 Georgia School of Law in 2006.

Career

Montgomery-Reeves practiced at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Wilmington where she focused on corporate governance and commercial litigation. She also practiced at Weil Gotshal & Manges in New York City, where she focused on corporate governance and securities litigation. Montgomery-Reeves was appointed vice chancellor the Delaware Court of Chancery in 2015 and has worked

pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...

with the Prisoners' Rights Project. Montgomery-Reeves joined Chief Justice

Collins J. Seitz Jr. Collins J. Seitz Jr. (born September 14, 1957) is the chief justice of the Delaware Supreme Court. Education Seitz received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Delaware in 1980. He earned his J.D. degree at the Villanova University Sch ...

on the steering committee of a group that completed a strategic plan for increasing diversity in Delaware's judiciary and legal community.

Delaware judicial service

On October 13, 2015, Delaware Governor Jack Markell nominated Montgomery-Reeves to the Delaware Court of Chancery to succeed Vice Chancellor

Donald F. Parsons Donald F. Parsons, Jr. (born 20th century) is an American former judge who served from October 22, 2003 until October 2015 on the Delaware Court of Chancery with the title of Vice Chancellor. Education He is a 1977 graduate of the Georgetown ...

On October 24, 2019, Governor John Carney announced the nomination of Montgomery-Reeves to be a justice of the Delaware Supreme Court, to fill the vacancy left by the elevation of

to Chief Justice. On November 7, 2019, her nomination was confirmed by the Delaware Senate. She is the first African-American justice on that court. She was sworn into office on January 3, 2020. In 2021, Montgomery-Reeves wrote the majority opinion holding that Senate records submitted to the University of Delaware archives by President Biden were not subject to demands under the Delaware Freedom of Information Act. Her service as a justice of the Delaware Supreme Court ended on February 7, 2023, when she was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Federal judicial service

On June 29, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Montgomery-Reeves to serve as a United States circuit judge for the Third Circuit. On July 11, 2022, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Montgomery-Reeves to the seat vacated by Judge

Thomas L. Ambro Thomas Lee Ambro (born December 27, 1949) is a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Education and legal career Ambro received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1971 from Georgetown Universi ...

, who announced his intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor. On September 7, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Montgomery-Reeves was unanimously rated "well qualified" for the judgeship by the American Bar Association's

Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academ ...

. During her confirmation hearing, Republican senators questioned Montgomery-Reeves about a strategic plan to increase diversity in Delaware's judiciary. The plan was based on recommendations made by the Delaware Supreme Court's Diversity Strategic Planning Steering Committee, which Montgomery-Reeves had co-chaired. She was asked about a recommendation that prospective lawyers be able to use clerkships and recommendations in lieu of passing the bar exam, which the committee said was a barrier to minority people. The committee also recommended that portraits of white judges and justices be removed from courthouses as a way to "reduce implicit bias and identity threat in the court environment." Montgomery-Reeves distanced herself from these recommendations by saying that she had neither written nor edited any of them despite being committee co-chair. On September 28, 2022, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 13–9 vote. On December 5, 2022, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture on her nomination. On December 8, 2022, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 57–39 vote. On December 12, 2022, her nomination was confirmed by a 53–35 vote. She received her judicial commission on February 7, 2023.

References

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