WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) praised Delaware Supreme Court Justice Tamika Montgomery-Reeves and called for her swift confirmation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit during today’s hearing on her nomination before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator Coons is a member of the committee.

Bipartisan leaders from Delaware have written 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.

“Justice Montgomery-Reeves has top-notch credentials, intellect, and integrity. She would bring a much-needed spirit of collegiality and consensus to the Third Circuit — I’m confident that she will serve our nation with honor and continue to make Delaware proud,” said Senator Carper

“Senator Carper and I were delighted to recommend Justice Montgomery-Reeves to our President for this nomination. She has been a model of judicial temperament and legal acumen in her seven years of service on Delaware courts,” said Senator Coons. “She was appointed to Delaware’s highest court, our Supreme Court, in 2019 and according to her colleagues on that court, she’s continued to demonstrate ‘all the qualities of an exceptional jurist: a keen intellect, strong work ethic, humility, and balanced and well-reasoned decision-making.’”

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.

Full audio and video of Senator Carper’s remarks are available here

Full audio and video of Senator Coons’ remarks are available here. A full transcript is provided below.

Senator Coons: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will endeavor to be brief, given my colleagues. I am very pleased to be introducing the nominee for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals from the State of Delaware and the current Delaware Supreme Court Justice, Tamika Montgomery-Reeves. 

Senator Carper and I were delighted to recommend Justice Montgomery-Reeves to our President for this nomination. She has been a model of judicial temperament and legal acumen in her seven years of service on Delaware courts. First appointed to our Delaware Court of Chancery in 2015, she quickly developed an unmatched reputation among litigants as a thorough and thoughtful jurist. She’s published over 100 opinions, meaningfully shaping corporate law on a court widely regarded as a critical national forum for business disputes. She was appointed to Delaware’s highest court, our Supreme Court, in 2019, and according to her colleagues on that court, she’s continued to demonstrate, and I quote from a supportive letter, “all the qualities of an exceptional jurist: a keen intellect, strong work ethic, humility, and balanced and well-reasoned decision making.” Justice Montgomery-Reeves is also a trailblazer, the first person of color appointed to our state’s Court of Chancery, only the second woman to serve on that court, and the first person of color and youngest person ever to serve on our state’s highest court, the Delaware Supreme Court.

Born in Jackson, Mississippi, a graduate of the University of Mississippi and University of Georgia School of Law, Justice Tamika Montgomery-Reeves first came to Delaware as a law clerk for long-serving and well-regarded Chancellor Bill Chandler, who is with us today. We have Chancellor Chandler to thank for convincing Justice Montgomery-Reeves to build her legal career in Delaware. One of the most distinguished legal minds in Delaware, the former chancellor is here and I’d like to quote briefly, if I could, from his letter of support to this committee, in which he comments both that she was in many ways one of the finest law clerks that served with him in a 26-year career, and that he is often approached by lawyers who have appeared before either Vice Chancellor or Justice Montgomery-Reeves, and they invariably praise her for her grasp of the often complicated issues; her perceptive and to-the-point questions; her patience; modesty; and abiding respect for those affected by the judges’ exercise of judicial power. 

Before becoming a judge, she was a distinguished corporate litigator, first as an associate at the nationally distinguished firms of Weil, Gotshal and Wilson Sonsini, becoming a partner at the Wilmington office of Wilson Sonsini in 2015, and like the members of the Court of Chancery and the Supreme Court, Justice Montgomery-Reeves’ former colleagues at those firms have also reached out to this committee to praise her character and qualifications.

Justice Montgomery-Reeves has been supported in all of her accomplishments; she is joined by many of her family today. I will simply reference and introduce her husband, Jeffrey, and their oldest son, Jackson, and I suspect Justice Montgomery-Reeves will introduce the rest of her wonderful family who are here today. She’s a brilliant legal mind, a woman of exceptional character, and is held in the highest regards by litigants who have practiced before her and colleagues from the bench. It’s my honor to introduce her and I’d urge all of my colleagues to support her swift confirmation to the Court of Appeals and, Mr. Chairman, we have strong bipartisan and supportive letters from the Delaware State Senate; from our current governor, John Carney; and former Governor Jack Markell and now ambassador; from Chancellor McCormick; the Delaware Federal Bar Association; as well as a compelling letter from Chancellor Chandler, and I would urge that all of those be admitted for the record. Thank you for the opportunity to offer this introduction.

 

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