Washington – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) today announced that President Biden nominated Judge Kate Menendez to serve as a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. Currently serving as a magistrate judge on the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, Menendez was one of the candidates sent to President Biden by Senators Klobuchar and Smith following the recommendation from a judicial selection committee.
“Judge Menendez has dedicated her career to serving Minnesotans, including five years as a federal magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. Her extensive qualifications make her an excellent choice to be a U.S. District Court Judge, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to confirm her,” said Klobuchar.
“As I’ve said before, federal courts make decisions that affect every part of our lives: who we marry, our privacy, our right to vote, and our right to equal treatment at work,” said Smith. “All Minnesotans deserve a fair justice system that will protect their rights, and I have no doubt that Kate Menendez will uphold our most fundamental value: equal justice for all. Congratulations Judge Menendez and I look forward to you serving our state.”
Mendenez was appointed to serve as a magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota in 2016. Prior to that, she served as a federal public defender for nearly two decades. She has worked as an adjunct professor of law at the University of Minnesota Law School, St. Thomas University School of Law, and the Hamline University School of Law. Judge Menendez received her B.A. with honors from the University of Chicago in 1993 and her J.D. magna cum laude from New York University School of Law in 1996. She served as a law clerk for Judge Sam Ervin, III on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 1996 to 1997.
Judge Menendez was among the candidates recommended by the judicial selection committee, which was chaired by Lolita Ulloa, Deputy Hennepin County Attorney and Director of Domestic Abuse Service Center; with members: David Ackerson, former state court judge on Minnesota’s Sixth Judicial District Court; Amran Farah, attorney at Greene Espel and president of the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers; Peter Knapp, Interim President and Dean of Mitchell Hamline School of Law; David Lillehaug, Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court and a former United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota; Cecil Naatz, Managing Attorney of the Public Defender’s Office in Marshall, Minnesota; Forrest Tahdooahnippah, partner at Dorsey & Whitney LLP and president of the Minnesota American Indian Bar Association; and Vildan Teske, founding partner of Teske, Micko, Katz, Kitzer & Rochel.
# # #
