Confirm Patty Shwartz to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Recipient: U.S. Senate

Dear Senator:

On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, we write to express our support for the nomination of Patty Shwartz to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.  During the course of her career, Ms. Shwartz has distinguished herself through her exceptional abilities and her respect for the rule of law. She is highly qualified and will be an impartial, thoughtful, and highly-respected addition to the third circuit. We urge you to vote yes on her confirmation.

Ms. Shwartz’s credentials are outstanding. She graduated from Rutgers University in 1983, and earned her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law in 1986. She clerked for Judge Harold Ackerman on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, which began what is now 25 years in public service. In 1989, she began working as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, where her experience included taking 15 jury trials to verdict. She was promoted to the position of Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, and then later as Chief. In 2001, she was appointed as the Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney, where she oversaw the Criminal, Civil, and Fraud Divisions, before once again being put in charge of the Criminal Division in 2002. In 2003, Ms. Shwartz was appointed to be a magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. As a magistrate judge, Ms. Shwartz has had more than 4000 civil cases referred to her for various aspects of the pretrial process. In dozens of cases, with the consent of both parties, she served as the presiding judge through the entire proceeding.

Ms. Shwartz has been recognized time and time again for her accomplishments. She was selected as the Outstanding Woman Law Graduate of the Class of 1986 by her law school, and she has received numerous awards and commendations from the U.S. Department of Justice and other federal agencies for her work. John Lacey, past President of the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey, wrote that Ms. Shwartz is “thoughtful, intelligent, and has an extraordinarily high level of common sense. That is the highest praise that can be given to any judge.” Thomas Curtin, chairman of the Lawyers’ Advisory Committee for the United States District Court for New Jersey, has argued that “Every lawyer in the world will tell you that she’s extraordinarily qualified, a decent person and an excellent judge, and would be an asset to the circuit.” The American Bar Association apparently agreed, when it rated Ms. Shwartz as “unanimously well qualified” for her pending nomination to the Third Circuit. Ms. Shwartz’s nomination has also garnered public endorsements from 15 New Jersey state legislatures and Governor Chris Christie.

For the above reasons, we urge you to vote yes and confirm Ms. Shwartz’s nomination to the third circuit. Thank you for your consideration. If you have any questions, please contact either of us, or Senior Policy Associate Sakira Cook, at (202) 263-2894 or [email protected].

Sincerely,

Wade Henderson
President & CEO

Nancy Zirkin
Executive Vice President