Jacquelyn D. Austin

Jacquelyn D. Austin
The Honorable Jacquelyn Denise Austin
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 29, 2024
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byJ. Michelle Childs
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
In office
February 7, 2011 – January 29, 2024
Personal details
Born
Jacquelyn Denise Graham

1966 (age 57–58)
Sumter, South Carolina, U.S.
EducationUniversity of South Carolina (BS, JD)

Jacquelyn Denise Austin (born 1966)[1] is an American lawyer who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina since 2024. She previously served as a United States magistrate judge of the same court from 2011 to 2024.

Education

Austin received a Bachelor of Science from the University of South Carolina School of Engineering in 1989 and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1996.[2]

Career

After graduating law school, she served as a law clerk for Judge Matthew J. Perry of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina from 1996 to 1997. From 1997 to 1999, she was as an associate at Hardaway Law Firm. From 1999 to 2006, she was an associate with Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice, PLLC and served as a partner from 2006 to 2011.[2] She was appointed as a United States magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina on February 7, 2011.[3]

Notable rulings

  • Austin denied requests to reduce bond for Dustan Lawson. He was accused of supplying firearms to serial killer Todd Kohlhepp.[4][5]
  • In 2019, Austin ruled in a civil case that there was reasonable video evidence that a Greenville County Sheriff’s deputy slammed a police car door into a handcuffed man’s head, allowing the case to continue. A jury previously sided for the deputy.[6]

Federal judicial service

On November 1, 2023, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Austin to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina.[7][8] On November 6, 2023, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Austin to the seat vacated by Judge J. Michelle Childs, who was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on August 2, 2022.[9] On November 29, 2023, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[10] On January 18, 2024, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 19–2 vote.[11][12] On January 24, 2024, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 79–17 vote.[13] Later that day, her nomination was confirmed by an 80–17 vote.[14][15] She received her judicial commission on January 29, 2024.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "President Biden Names Forty-First Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ "MEMORANDUM" (PDF). May 13, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  4. ^ Riddle, Lyn (November 1, 2023). "Biden names US magistrate in SC to federal judgeship". Yahoo News. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  5. ^ "Man who provided serial killer with dozens of guns sentenced to prison". September 17, 2018.
  6. ^ "Judge rules excessive force case against Greenville deputies". September 1, 2022.
  7. ^ Gaynor, Gerren Keith (November 1, 2023). "Biden hits another milestone for Black female judicial nominees". Yahoo News. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  8. ^ Riddle, Lyn (November 1, 2023). "Biden names US magistrate in SC to federal judgeship". Yahoo News. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  9. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. November 6, 2023.
  10. ^ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. November 29, 2023.
  11. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – January 18, 2024" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  12. ^ "Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Twenty Judicial Nominations, One Executive Nomination to the Full Senate" (Press release). United States Senate Judiciary Committee. January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  13. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Jacquelyn D. Austin to be U.S. District Judge for the District of South Carolina)". United States Senate. January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  14. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Jacquelyn D. Austin, of South Carolina, to be United States District Judge for the District of South Carolina)". United States Senate. January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  15. ^ Raymond, Nate. "US Senate confirms two Biden judicial nominees in Republican-led states". Reuters. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  16. ^ Jacquelyn D. Austin at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
2024–present 		Incumbent