Catherine D. Perry (born 1952) is a
senior United States district judge
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...
of the
.
Education and career
Born in
Hobart,
Oklahoma, Perry received 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 year ...
degree from
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
in 1977, and a
Juris Doctor from
Washington University School of Law
Washington University in St. Louis School of Law (WashULaw) is the law school of Washington University in St. Louis, a private university in St. Louis, Missouri. WashULaw has consistently ranked among the top law schools in the country; it is c ...
in 1980. After graduation she became an adjunct professor of law at Washington University School of Law, and taught there intermittently from 1981 to 1994. She also served 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 conduc ...
of the
from 1990 to 1994.
Federal judicial service
On July 15, 1994, Perry was nominated by President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
to a seat on the
vacated by
Clyde S. Cahill. She was confirmed by 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 ...
on October 6, 1994, and received her commission the following day. She served as Chief Judge from 2009 to 2016. She assumed
senior status
Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...
on December 31, 2018.
Notable ruling
On August 18, 2014 Perry denied motions by the ACLU for temporary restraining orders against six police officers to prevent the enforcement of a 5-second rule in
Ferguson,
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
. Perry cited the need for law enforcement's protection of property and the availability of a "free-speech zone". However, at the time of this ruling the free speech zone was off-limits to the public.
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Catherine D.
1952 births
Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
Living people
People from Hobart, Oklahoma
United States district court judges appointed by Bill Clinton
University of Oklahoma alumni
Washington University School of Law alumni
Washington University in St. Louis faculty
United States magistrate judges
20th-century American judges
21st-century American judges
20th-century American women judges
21st-century American women judges