Tamika Montgomery-Reeves

{{Infobox judge

| name = Tamika Montgomery-Reeves

| image = Tamika Montgomery-Reeves.jpg

| office = Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

| term_start = February 7, 2023

| term_end =

| appointer = Joe Biden

| predecessor = Thomas L. Ambro

| successor =

| office1 = Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court

|term_start1 = January 3, 2020

|term_end1 = February 7, 2023

|appointer1 = John Carney

|predecessor1 = Collins J. Seitz Jr.

|successor1 = N. Christopher Griffiths

|office2 = Vice Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery

|appointer2 = Jack Markell

|term_start2 = October 28, 2015

|term_end2 = January 3, 2020

|predecessor2 = Donald Parsons

|successor2 = Paul A. Fioravanti Jr.

|birth_name = Tamika Renee Montgomery

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|4|29}}

|birth_place = Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.

|death_date =

|death_place =

| party = Democrat

|spouse = Jeffrey Reeves

|children = 2

|education = {{nowrap|University of Mississippi (BA)}}
University of Georgia (JD)

}}

Tamika Renee Montgomery-Reeves[https://books.google.com/books?id=F-hMAQAAIAAJ&q=Tamika+R.+Montgomery Journal of intellectual property law, Volume 13] (born April 29, 1981)[https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2015/11/23/fast-riser-and-spot-chancery-court/76250708/ Fast-riser earns spot on Chancery Court]United States Public Records, 1970-2009 (Mississippi, 2007) is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She previously served as an Associate Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court.[https://courts.delaware.gov/forms/download.aspx?id=118868 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JANUARY 3, 2020 - The Honorable Tamika R. Montgomery-Reeves takes the Oath of Office for Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court]

Early life and education

Montgomery was born in Jackson, Mississippi, to Dewrey and Bettye (nee Cribbs) Montgomery.{{cite web | url=https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/tamika-montgomery-reeves-1981/ | title=Tamika Montgomery-Reeves (1981– ) | date=May 26, 2020 }} She received a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from the University of Mississippi in 2003{{Cite web |url=https://news.delaware.gov/2015/10/13/governor-markell-announces-judicial-nominations-for-court-of-chancery-family-court/ |title=Governor Markell Announces Judicial Nominations for Court of Chancery, Family Court |date=October 13, 2015 |website=State of Delaware News |language=en-US |access-date=November 12, 2019}} and a Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2006.{{Cite web |url=https://news.delaware.gov/2019/10/24/governor-carney-announces-delaware-supreme-court-nominations/ |title=Governor Carney Announces Delaware Supreme Court Nominations |date=October 24, 2019 |website=State of Delaware News |language=en-US |access-date=November 12, 2019}}

Career

Montgomery-Reeves practiced at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Wilmington where she focused on corporate governance and commercial litigation. She also practiced at Weil Gotshal & Manges in New York City, where she focused on corporate governance and securities litigation. Montgomery-Reeves was appointed Vice Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery in 2015 and has worked pro bono with the Prisoners' Rights Project.{{cite web | url=https://www.desu.edu/news/2020/01/tamika-montgomery-reeves-historic-rise-del-supreme-crt | title=Tamika Montgomery-Reeves historic rise to del. Supreme CRT }}{{cite web | url=https://www.pli.edu/faculty/hon.-tamika-r.-montgomery-reeves-i795759 | title=Hon. Tamika R. Montgomery-Reeves - Practising Law Institute }} Montgomery-Reeves joined Chief Justice Collins J. Seitz Jr. on the steering committee of a group that completed a strategic plan for increasing diversity in Delaware's judiciary and legal community.{{cite web | url=https://delawarebusinesstimes.com/news/montgomery-reeves-fed-court/ | title=Biden taps Justice Montgomery-Reeves for fed court | date=June 30, 2022 }}

= Delaware judicial service =

On October 13, 2015, Delaware Governor Jack Markell nominated Montgomery-Reeves to the Delaware Court of Chancery to succeed Vice Chancellor Donald F. Parsons

On October 24, 2019, Governor John Carney announced the nomination of Montgomery-Reeves to be a justice of the Delaware Supreme Court, to fill the vacancy left by the elevation of Collins J. Seitz Jr. to Chief Justice. On November 7, 2019, her nomination was confirmed by the Delaware Senate. She was the first African-American justice on that court.{{Cite web |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Delaware-Senate-confirms-state-Supreme-Court-picks-14818599.php |title=Delaware Senate confirms state Supreme Court picks |date=November 7, 2019 |website=SFChronicle.com |language=en-US |access-date=November 12, 2019}} She was sworn into office on January 3, 2020.{{Cite press release |title=The Honorable Tamika R. Montgomery-Reeves takes the Oath of Office for Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court |date=January 3, 2020 |publisher=Delaware Courts |url=https://courts.delaware.gov/Forms/Download.aspx?id=118868 |access-date=January 7, 2021}} In 2021, Montgomery-Reeves wrote the majority opinion holding that Senate records submitted to the University of Delaware archives by President Biden were not subject to demands under the Delaware Freedom of Information Act.{{cite web | url=https://www.law360.com/pulse/articles/1446238/del-justices-mostly-uphold-foia-block-on-biden-senate-docs | title=Del. Justices Mostly Uphold FOIA Block on Biden Senate Docs - Law360 }} Her service as a justice of the Delaware Supreme Court ended on February 7, 2023, when she was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.{{FJC Bio|nid=12941021|inline=yes}}

= Federal judicial service =

On June 29, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Montgomery-Reeves to serve as a United States circuit judge for the Third Circuit.{{Cite web|url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/06/29/president-biden-names-twentieth-round-of-judicial-nominees/|title=President Biden Names Twentieth Round of Judicial Nominees|date=June 29, 2022|access-date=June 29, 2022}} On July 11, 2022, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Montgomery-Reeves to the seat vacated by Judge Thomas L. Ambro, who announced his intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor.{{Cite press release|title=Nominations and Withdrawals Sent to the Senate|date=July 11, 2022|publisher=The White House|location=Washington, D.C.|url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/07/11/nominations-and-withdrawals-sent-to-the-senate-9/}} On September 7, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.{{Cite web|title=Nominations|date=August 31, 2022|publisher=United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|location=Washington, D.C.|url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/09/07/2022/nominations}} Montgomery-Reeves was unanimously rated "well qualified" for the judgeship by the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary.[https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/webratingchart-117.pdf Ratings of Article III and Article IV Judicial Nominees: 117th Congress], American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary (last updated December 12, 2022).

During her confirmation hearing, Republican senators questioned Montgomery-Reeves about a strategic plan to increase diversity in Delaware's judiciary. The plan was based on recommendations made by the Delaware Supreme Court's Diversity Strategic Planning Steering Committee, which Montgomery-Reeves had co-chaired. She was asked about a recommendation that prospective lawyers be able to use clerkships and recommendations in lieu of passing the bar exam, which the committee said was a barrier to minority people. The committee also recommended that portraits of white judges and justices be removed from courthouses as a way to "reduce implicit bias and identity threat in the court environment." Montgomery-Reeves distanced herself from these recommendations by saying that she had neither written nor edited any of them despite being committee co-chair.{{cite news|last=Raymond|first=Nate|title= GOP grill Biden judicial nominee over views on bar exam racial bias reform |url= https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/gop-grill-biden-judicial-nominee-over-views-bar-exam-racial-bias-reform-2022-09-07/}} On September 28, 2022, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 13–9 vote.{{cite web|url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/EBM%20Results%20-%202022-09-29.pdf|title=Results of Executive Business Meeting – September 29, 2022|publisher=United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|accessdate=September 29, 2022}} On December 8, 2022, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 57–39 vote.{{Cite web|date=December 8, 2022|title=On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Tamika R. Montgomery-Reeves, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit)|url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1172/vote_117_2_00385.htm|access-date=December 8, 2022|website=United States Senate}} On December 12, 2022, her nomination was confirmed by a 53–35 vote.{{Cite web|date=December 12, 2022|title=On the Nomination (Confirmation: Tamika R. Montgomery-Reeves, of Delaware, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit)|url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1172/vote_117_2_00387.htm|access-date=December 12, 2022|website=United States Senate}} She received her judicial commission on February 7, 2023.

References

External links

{{FJC Bio|nid=12941021}}
{{Ballotpedia|Tamika_Montgomery-Reeves}}
[http://firststateupdate.com/2020/01/montgomery-reeves-sworn-in-as-justice-of-the-delaware-supreme-court/ Montgomery-Reeves Sworn In As Justice Of The Delaware Supreme Court]
[https://delawarebusinessnow.com/2020/01/law-notes-supreme-court-potter-anderson-cohen-seglias-burns-white/ Law notes: Supreme Court, Potter Anderson, Cohen Seglias, Burns White]
[https://www.phillytrib.com/news/state_and_region/first-black-justice-takes-seat-on-delaware-s-supreme-court/article_a4dfce0e-2cc2-11ea-803e-57f266836929.html First Black justice takes seat on Delaware's Supreme Court]

{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court}}|years=2020–2023}}

{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit}}|years=2023–present}}

Category:1981 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century African-American women

Category:21st-century American lawyers

Category:21st-century American women lawyers

Category:21st-century American women judges

Category:African-American judges

Category:American women lawyers

Category:Delaware Democrats

Category:Delaware lawyers