Jerry Edwards Jr.

Jerry Edwards Jr.
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
Incumbent
Assumed office December 22, 2023
Appointed by	Joe Biden
Preceded by	Michael J. Juneau
Personal details
Born	1979 (age 45–46) Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
Education	Georgia State University (BA) Vermont Law and Graduate School (JD)

Jerry Edwards Jr. (born 1979)^[1] is an American lawyer from Louisiana who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana since 2023. He previously served as the first assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana from 2022 to 2023.

Education

Edwards received a Bachelor of Arts from Georgia State University in 2002 and a Juris Doctor from Vermont Law and Graduate School in 2005.^[2]

Career

From 2005 to 2006, Edwards served as a law clerk for Judges Jeanette G. Garrett and Scott Crichton of the Caddo Parish District Court. From 2006 to 2014, he was an associate at Blanchard, Walker, O’Quin & Roberts, A.P.L.C. in Shreveport and from 2014 to 2019, he was a shareholder and director at the same firm, where he focused on civil law, including torts and contracts. From 2019 to 2023, he served as an assistant United States attorney at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana. While at the U.S. Attorney's Office, he served as Chief of the Civil Division from 2020 to 2022 and from 2022 to 2023, he served as the first assistant U.S. attorney.^[2] In that capacity, he focused on white collar crime, public corruption, and money laundering.^[3]

Federal judicial service

On June 7, 2023, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Edwards to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.^[2][4] Soon after the nomination was announced, Senator Bill Cassidy announced his support.^[5] Nine members of the Congressional Black Caucus wrote a letter^[6] to President Joe Biden asking him to withdraw the nominations of Edwards and Brandon Scott Long because the sole Democratic lawmaker from Louisiana, Representative Troy Carter, had not been properly consulted on multiple judicial nominations.^[7][8][9] On June 8, 2023, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Edwards to the seat vacated by Judge Michael J. Juneau, who assumed senior status on February 1, 2022.^[10] On July 12, 2023, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.^[11] During his confirmation hearing, Senator Marsha Blackburn questioned him whether he would be overwhelmed by the criminal cases federal judges handle given that his background is in civil law.^[12] On July 12, 2023, U.S. Representative Steven Horsford sent a letter^[13] to Senate Judiciary chairman Dick Durbin saying the Congressional Black Caucus would oppose the Senate Judiciary Committee's consideration of Edwards Jr. and fellow nominee Brandon Scott Long, pending changes to the committee's "blue slip" policy.^[14] On September 14, 2023, his nomination was reported out of the committee by a 16–5 vote.^[15] On December 14, 2023, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 66–31 vote, with Senator Bob Menendez voting against the motion to invoke cloture.^[16] Later that day, his nomination was confirmed by a 66–24 vote.^[17] He received his judicial commission on December 22, 2023.^[18] He began his service on the bench on December 23, 2023.^[19] Edwards became the first person of color to serve on the Western District of Louisiana.^[5][20]

See also

• List of African American federal judges
• List of African American jurists

References

1. "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
2. "President Biden Names Thirty-Fourth Round of Judicial Nominees and One New Nominee to Serve as U.S. Attorney" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
3. "New Orleans judge nominee quizzed on Hunter Biden's laptop | Local Politics | nola.com". www.nola.com. 12 July 2023.
4. Gangitano, Alex (June 7, 2023). "Biden names two Louisiana judicial nominee picks". The Hill. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
5. Hilburn, Greg (June 8, 2023). "Biden nominates Shreveport attorney to be first Black Louisiana Western District judge". The Times. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
6. "Letter to request withdrawal of Louisiana nominees". White House. June 7, 2023.
7. "Top Congressional Black Caucus members are calling for the Biden administration to yank two judicial nominations". Politico. June 7, 2023.
8. "Biden Louisiana Judge Picks Win Over GOP, Anger Black Caucus". Bloomberglaw.com. June 7, 2023.
9. "Joe Biden taps 2 to fill vacancies on Louisiana's U.S. District Courts - and is blasted". Nola.com. June 7, 2023.
10. "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. June 8, 2023.
11. "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. July 10, 2023.
12. Ballard, Mark. "Federal judge nominee for New Orleans quizzed about Hunter Biden's laptop". nola.com. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
13. "Congressional Black Caucus letter to Dick Durbin". Politico. July 12, 2023.
14. "Congressional Black Caucus vows to oppose Senate Judiciary's consideration of two judges over 'blue slip' policy". July 12, 2023.
15. "Results of Executive Business Meeting – September 14, 2023" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
16. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Jerry Edwards Jr. to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana)". United States Senate. December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
17. "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Jerry Edwards Jr., of Louisiana, to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana)". United States Senate. December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
18. Jerry Edwards Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
19. "U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown Announces the Confirmation of Jerry Edwards, Jr. as Federal Judge for the Western District of Louisiana". justice.gov (Press release). December 28, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
20. Thomsen, Jacqueline (June 7, 2023). "Biden taps US prosecutors for federal judgeships in Louisiana". Reuters. Retrieved June 7, 2023.

External links

• Jerry Edwards Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

Legal offices
Preceded by Michael J. Juneau	Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana 2023–present	Incumbent