Amy Berman Jackson

Amy Berman Jackson
File:Amy Berman Jackson.jpg
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
Incumbent
Assumed office March 18, 2011
Appointed by	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Gladys Kessler
Personal details
Born	(1954-07-22) July 22, 1954 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Darryl Jackson
Children	Matt Jackson
Alma mater	Harvard University

Amy Berman Jackson (born July 22, 1954) is a District Judge on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Early life and education

Jackson was born on July 22, 1954 in Baltimore, Maryland. She received her A.B., cum laude from Harvard College in 1976 and her J.D., cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1979.

Professional career

After graduating from law school, Jackson served as a law clerk to Harrison L. Winter of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. From 1980 to 1986, Jackson served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia where she received Department of Justice Special Achievement Awards for her work on high profile murder and sexual assault cases in 1985 and 1986. Between 1986 and 1994, Jackson was an associate and then a partner at Venable, Baetjer, Howard, and Civiletti. Starting in the year 2000 and continuing until her appointment as a federal judge, Jackson was a member of Trout Cacheris, PLLC, in Washington, D.C. She specialized in complex litigation, criminal investigations and defense, criminal trials, civil trials, and appeals. In 2009 Jackson represented nine-term Representative for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district William J. Jefferson in his corruption trial.

Jackson has served as an expert legal commentator for many news organizations, such as Fox News Channel, CNN, NBC, and MSNBC.

Federal judicial service

On June 17, 2010, President Obama nominated Jackson to fill a vacant seat on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia that was created by the transition to senior status in 2007 by Judge Gladys Kessler. Her nomination lapsed at the end of 2010, but Obama renominated her on January 5, 2011. The United States Senate confirmed Jackson in a 97-0 vote on March 17, 2011. She received her commission on March 18, 2011.

Selected opinions

On March 2, 2012, Jackson ruled that the National Labor Relations Board had limited authority to require private businesses to display posters informing workers about labor rights.

On March 23, 2012, Jackson overturned a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that revoked a permit for the Spruce 1 mine project in Logan County, West Virginia, on the ground that the EPA did not have power under the Clean Water Act to rescind the permit. That ruling was reversed by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in April 2013, and on September 30, 2014, Jackson ruled in the EPA's favor, allowing its veto of the permit to stand.

Jackson was scheduled to preside at the August 2013 sentencing of former U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. and his wife, Sandy Jackson.

In December 2013, Jackson ruled that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Washington, D.C. must cover birth control and abortifacients for its employees under the Affordable Care Act despite a ban on abortion or contraception in Roman Catholic doctrine.

Advocacy

Jackson served on the Board of the Washington D.C. Rape Crisis Center and has also been a member of the Parent Steering Committee of the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders.

External links

• Amy Berman Jackson at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

Legal offices
Preceded by Gladys Kessler	Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia 2011–present	Incumbent