Wendy Beetlestone

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Wendy Beetlestone

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Judge Wendy Beetlestone.png

| alt =

| caption =

| office1 = Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

| term_start1 = November 21, 2014

| term_end1 =

| appointer1 = Barack Obama

| predecessor1 = Michael Baylson

| successor1 =

| office2 = Chancellor of the University of Liverpool

| term_start2 = 2023

| term_end2 =

| predecessor2 = Colm Tóibín

| successor2 =

| pronunciation =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1961|04|04}}

| birth_place = Ibadan, Nigeria

| death_date =

| death_place =

| death_cause =

| resting_place =

| resting_place_coordinates =

| citizenship =

| nationality =

| party =

| otherparty =

| height =

| spouse =

| partner =

| relations =

| children =

| parents =

| mother =

| father =

| relatives =

| residence =

| education = University of Liverpool (BA)
University of Pennsylvania (JD)

| occupation =

| profession =

| known_for =

| salary =

| net_worth =

| cabinet =

| committees =

| portfolio =

| religion =

| awards =

| signature =

| signature_alt =

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

Wendy Beetlestone (born April 4, 1961) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Biography

Beetlestone was born in Ibadan, Nigeria{{cite news|url=https://www.pulse.ng/news/local/donald-trump-hello-ibadan-a-us-judge-born-in-your-city-just-made-history/3kl4cpn|publisher=The Pulse|title=Hello Ibadan, a US Judge born in your city just made history|author=Jude Egbas|date=

December 18, 2017|accessdate=September 24, 2023}} to a British father, John Beetlestone, who was a chemistry professor at the University of Ibadan, and an American mother, Clare Watson.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/feb/08/john-beetlestone-obituary|title=John Beetlestone obituary|author=Wendy Beetlestone|work=The Guardian|date=February 8, 2017|accessdate=September 24, 2023}}{{cite news|url=https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2018/03/14/us-district-judge-wendy-beetlestone-returns-to-gritty-city-she-loved/|title=US District Judge Wendy Beetlestone returns to "gritty" city she loved|author=The University of Liverpool|date=March 14, 2018|accessdate=September 24, 2023}} She attended the International School Ibadan and later Rishworth School in Yorkshire.{{cn|date=October 2023}} In 1984, Beetlestone graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from the University of Liverpool. In 1993, she earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

She began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge Robert S. Gawthrop III, of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, from 1993 to 1994. From 1994 to 2002, she worked at the law firm of Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis, LLP, becoming a partner in 2001. From 2002 to 2005, she served as general counsel of the School District of Philadelphia. From 2005 to 2014, she had been a shareholder at the law firm of Hangley, Aronchick, Segal, Pudlin & Schiller, where she litigated a variety of commercial matters before both Federal and State courts.{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/13/president-obama-announces-intent-nominate-five-serve-united-states-distr|work=whitehouse.gov|title=President Obama Announces Intent to Nominate Five to Serve on the United States District Courts|via=National Archives|date=June 13, 2014}}{{FJC Bio|nid=1394676|inline=yes}} In 2023, she was announced as the next chancellor of the University of Liverpool. She is the University’s eleventh chancellor and the institution’s first female and first black chancellor.{{cite web |url=https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2023/01/18/united-states-district-judge-wendy-beetlestone-appointed-chancellor-of-the-university-of-liverpool/ | title=United States District Judge Wendy Beetlestone appointed University Chancellor - University of Liverpool News | date=January 18, 2023 }}

=Federal judicial service=

On June 16, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Beetlestone to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to the seat vacated by Judge Michael Baylson, who assumed senior status on July 13, 2012.{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/16/presidential-nominations-sent-senate|work=whitehouse.gov|title=Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate|via=National Archives|date=June 16, 2014}} On July 24, 2014, a hearing on her nomination was held before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary.{{cite web|url=http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/judicial-nominations_2014-07-24|title=United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|website=www.judiciary.senate.gov|date=July 24, 2014 }} On September 18, 2014, her nomination was reported out of committee by a voice vote.{{cite web|url=http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Results%20of%20Executive%20Business%20Meeting%209-18-14.pdf|title=Results of Executive Business Meeting – September 18, 2014 United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary}} On November 19, 2014, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 58–38 vote.{{cite web|url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&session=2&vote=00286|title=On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Wendy Beetlestone, of Pennsylvania, to be U.S. District Judge)|publisher=United States Senate|access-date=November 19, 2014}} On November 20, 2014, her nomination was confirmed by a voice vote.{{cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/113th-congress/1774|title=PN1774 — Wendy Beetlestone — The Judiciary|publisher=congress.gov|access-date=November 5, 2022}} She received her judicial commission on November 21, 2014.

On December 15, 2017, Beetlestone issued a nationwide injunction prohibiting the enforcement of regulations that allowed employers to refuse to cover contraception in their employees' insurance plans if they have either religious objections to birth control or “sincerely held moral convictions” against it.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/21/opinion/trump-judges-abortion-immigration.html|title=Why Judges Matter|last=Greenhouse|first=Carol|date=December 21, 2017|work=New York Times}} “It is difficult,” Judge Beetlestone wrote, “to comprehend a rule that does more to undermine the contraceptive mandate or that intrudes more into the lives of women.”Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Trump, et al., 17-cv-4965, slip op. (December 15, 2017), available at https://static01.nyt.com/opinion/contributors/Pennsylvaniav.Trump.pdf Judge Beetlestone issued a second nationwide injunction after President Trump issued revised rules.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/judge-blocks-trump-effort-to-roll-back-birth-control-mandate-nationwide/2019/01/14/abba97e4-181f-11e9-8813-cb9dec761e73_story.html|title=Judge blocks Trump effort to roll back birth-control mandate nationwide|last=Goldstein|first=Amy|newspaper=Washington Post}} On July 8, 2020, these decisions were overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States.{{cite news | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-obamacare-birth-control-mandate/2020/07/08/0b38a352-c123-11ea-b4f6-cb39cd8940fb_story.html | title = Supreme Court says employers may opt out of Affordable Care Act's birth control mandate over religious, moral objections | first = Robert | last = Barnes | date = July 8, 2020 | access-date = July 8, 2020 | newspaper = The Washington Post }}