WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) released the following statement today after Tamika Montgomery-Reeves was voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee to serve as U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals by a vote of 13-9. Senator Coons is a member of the committee.
“We’re glad that a bipartisan majority of the Senate Judiciary Committee has recognized that Justice Tamika Montgomery-Reeves’ experience as a distinguished litigator and inspirational trailblazer in the Delaware state courts will make her an excellent Federal Appellate Court Judge,” said the Senators. “Our Federal Judiciary would be strengthened by Tamika’s unmatched reputation as a compassionate, intelligent, and thoughtful jurist. Her confirmation to the Third Circuit would be a positive step toward ensuring that our federal judiciary reflects the diversity of our nation. We hope she will swiftly come before the full Senate and our colleagues will join us in confirming her to the bench.”
Bipartisan leaders from Delaware have written over a dozen letters to the Senate in support of Justice Montgomery-Reeves due to her extensive record of service. Governor John Carney and former Governor Jack Markell both sent letters of support, and the Delaware State Senate also submitted a bipartisan letter “unequivocally endors[ing]” her nomination.
On June 29, 2022, the White House announced it was nominating Justice Montgomery-Reeves, who was recommended by Senators Carper and Coons, for a judgeship on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Justice Montgomery-Reeves has been nominated for the judicial vacancy that will be created when Judge Thomas L. Ambro occupies senior status.
Justice Montgomery-Reeves has served Delaware state courts for seven years. She is the first Black person to serve on the Delaware Court of Chancery and the Delaware Supreme Court, where she has served as an Associate Justice since January 2020. Prior to that, Justice Montgomery-Reeves was the first Black woman to serve as the Vice Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery from November 2015 to November 2019. Before her public service, she was a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Wilmington, Delaware.
Justice Montgomery-Reeves graduated from the McDonnell-Barksdale Honors College at the University of Mississippi in 2003. She received her law degree in 2006 from the University of Georgia School of Law. Justice Montgomery-Reeves served as a law clerk for Chancellor William B. Chandler of the Delaware Court of Chancery.
###