Angel Kelley (born 1967)[1] is an American attorney and judge serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She is a former associate justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court.

Angel Kelley
Kelley in 2021
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
Assumed office
September 15, 2021
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byDouglas P. Woodlock
Judge of the Massachusetts Superior Court
In office
2013 – September 15, 2021
Appointed byCharlie Baker
Judge of the Brockton District Court
In office
2009–2013
Appointed byDeval Patrick
Personal details
Born1967 (age 56–57)
New Rochelle, New York, U.S.
EducationColgate University (BA)
Georgetown University (JD)
Temple University (LLM)

Education

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Kelley received her Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University in 1989, her Master of Laws in trial advocacy from Temple University in 2003, and her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University in 1992.[2]

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Kelley began her legal career as a staff attorney at The Legal Aid Society in the Juvenile Rights Division in Brooklyn, New York from 1993 to 1997. From 1997 to 2005, she was an attorney for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. From 2007 to 2009, Kelley served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.[2] From 1992 to 2005, she was a part-time instructor at Columbia University. From 2004 to 2005 she was a part-time instructor at New York University. From 2005 to 2007, she was a clinical instructor at Harvard Law School. Since 2012, she has been a part-time adjunct professor at Suffolk University Law School. Since 2016, she has been a volunteer instructor at Emory University School of Law and since 2018, she has been a part-time adjunct professor at Boston University School of Law.[3]

Judicial career

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State judicial service

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In 2009, she was appointed to the Massachusetts District Court by Governor Deval Patrick and sworn in on September 17, 2010.[4][5] On January 4, 2013, she was nominated to be a judge of the Massachusetts Superior Court[6] and confirmed to the position on January 24, 2013, in a 6–2 vote.[7][8][9]

Federal judicial service

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Angel Kelley U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

On May 12, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Kelley to serve as a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts to the seat vacated by Judge Douglas P. Woodlock, who assumed senior status on June 1, 2015.[10][11] On June 23, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[12] On July 22, 2021, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 15–7 vote.[13] On September 14, 2021, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 52–43 vote.[14] Her nomination was confirmed later that day by a 52–44 vote.[15] She received her judicial commission on September 15, 2021,[16][17] and was sworn in the same day.[18] She is the second African American female judge and the second Asian American judge to serve on the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Judicial Nomination Data Questionnaire" (PDF). January 7, 2013. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "President Biden Announces Third Slate of Judicial Nominees", White House, May 12, 2021 Archived May 13, 2021, at the Wayback Machine   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ "United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Angel Kelley" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  4. ^ "Governor swears in Angel Kelly-Brown as Brockton court judge". Wicked Local. September 18, 2021. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  5. ^ "Biden nominates Bay State judge Angel Kelley to federal court". Boston Herald. 2021-05-12. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Brockton Judge Angel Kelly Brown picked for Superior Court opening". The Enterprise, Brockton, MA. January 4, 2013. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  7. ^ Linton, David (January 24, 2013). "Attleboro judge will sit on state's superior court". The Sun Chronicle. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  8. ^ "Two confirmed to Superior Court". Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. January 23, 2013. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Norton, Michael P. (May 12, 2021). "Biden Picks Angel Kelley For Federal Court Opening In Massachusetts". www.wbur.org. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  10. ^ Andersen, Travis (May 13, 2021). "Biden picks state court judge for Massachusetts federal bench - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  11. ^ ""Nominations Sent to the Senate", White House, May 12, 2021". 12 May 2021. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  12. ^ "United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for June 23, 2021". Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  13. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – July 22, 2021, Senate Judiciary Committee" (PDF). Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  14. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Angel Kelley to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Massachusetts)". Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  15. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Angel Kelley, of Massachusetts, to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Massachusetts)". Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  16. ^ Angel Kelley at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  17. ^ "Judge Angel Kelley". www.mad.uscourts.gov. September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  18. ^ "Judge Angel Kelley Sworn in as United States District Judge for the District of Massachusetts" (PDF). United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
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Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
2021–present
Incumbent