Patti B. Saris
Patti B. Saris (born July 20, 1951) is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She is also the former Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission.[1]
Patti Saris | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts | |
| In office January 1, 2013 – December 31, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Mark Lawrence Wolf |
| Succeeded by | F. Dennis Saylor IV |
| Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission | |
| In office December 22, 2010 – January 3, 2017 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | William K. Sessions III |
| Succeeded by | William H. Pryor Jr. (Acting) |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts | |
| Assumed office November 24, 1993 | |
| Appointed by | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Walter Jay Skinner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 20, 1951 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Arthur I. Segel |
| Education | Harvard University (BA, JD) |
Early life and education
Saris was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She attended Girls' Latin School,[2] and later received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Radcliffe College of Harvard University in 1973 and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1976.
Legal career
Saris was a law clerk for Judge Robert Braucher of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1976 to 1977. She was in private practice with the law firm of Foley, Hoag & Eliot in Boston from 1977 to 1979, served as Staff counsel to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary from 1979 to 1981, and then returned to private practice with the firm of Berman, Dittmar & Engel, P.C. from 1981 to 1982.
Saris then served as Assistant United States Attorney of the District of Massachusetts from 1982 to 1986. She was Chief of the Civil Division from 1984 to 1986. From 1986-89 she was a United States Magistrate Judge, United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She was an Associate Justice in the Trial Court of Massachusetts, Superior Court Department from 1989 to 1993.
Federal judicial career
On the recommendation of Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, Saris was nominated as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts by President Bill Clinton on October 27, 1993, to a seat vacated by Walter Jay Skinner. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 20, 1993, and received her commission on November 24, 1993. She served as Chief Judge from January 1, 2013 until December 31, 2019.
United States Sentencing Commission
In April 2010, President Obama nominated Saris as Commissioner and Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission. She was confirmed by the Senate on December 22, 2010 and sworn in by Justice Elena Kagan on February 16, 2011.[3] Her term expired on January 3, 2017.
References
- "Saris to Chair United States Sentencing Commission" (PDF). United States Sentencing Commission. December 23, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
- "Patti B. Saris Oral History, Chief Justice, US District Court for Massachusetts; Staffer for Edward Kennedy, Senate Judiciary Committee". www.emkinstitute.org.
- "President Obama Nominates Two United States Sentencing Commission". The White House. April 28, 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
External links
- Patti B. Saris at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Walter Jay Skinner |
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts 1993–present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by William K. Sessions III |
Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission 2010–2017 |
Succeeded by William H. Pryor, Jr. (acting) |
| Preceded by Mark Lawrence Wolf |
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts 2013–2019 |
Succeeded by F. Dennis Saylor IV |