December 19, 2013 | 3:52 | Public Domain
This week, the White House honored those lost at Sandy Hook on the one year anniversary. The President met with newly elected mayors and executives from America's leading technology companies, discussed the benefits of health care reform with a group of moms, and celebrated the holidays with Christmas in Washington.
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
In 2011, millions of South Sudanese voted to forge a new nation, founded on the promise of a more peaceful and prosperous future for all of South Sudan’s people. In recent years, against great odds, South Sudan has made great progress toward breaking the cycle of violence that characterized much of its history.
Today, that future is at risk. South Sudan stands at the precipice. Recent fighting threatens to plunge South Sudan back into the dark days of its past.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. South Sudan has a choice. Its leaders can end the violence and work to resolve tensions peacefully and democratically. Fighting to settle political scores or to destabilize the government must stop immediately. Inflammatory rhetoric and targeted violence must cease. All sides must listen to the wise counsel of their neighbors, commit to dialogue and take immediate steps to urge calm and support reconciliation. South Sudan’s leaders must recognize that compromise with one’s political enemy is difficult; but recovering from unchecked violence and unleashed hatred will prove much harder.
Too much blood has been spilled and too many lives have been lost to allow South Sudan’s moment of hope and opportunity to slip from its grasp. Now is the time for South Sudan’s leaders to show courage and leadership, to reaffirm their commitment to peace, to unity, and to a better future for their people. The United States will remain a steady partner of the South Sudanese people as they seek the security and prosperity they deserve.
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The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE:
Michael P. Boggs, of Georgia, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia, vice Julie E. Carnes.
Julie E. Carnes, of Georgia, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit, vice James Larry Edmondson, retired.
Tanya S. Chutkan, of the District of Columbia, to be United States District Judge for the District of Columbia, vice an additional position in accordance with 28 U.S.C. 133(b)(1).
Mark Howard Cohen, of Georgia, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia, vice Clarence Cooper, retired.
Gregg Jeffrey Costa, of Texas, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit, vice Fortunato P. Benavides, retired.
M. Hannah Lauck, of Virginia, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, vice James R. Spencer, retiring.
Leigh Martin May, of Georgia, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia, vice Beverly B. Martin, elevated.
Eleanor Louise Ross, of Georgia, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia, vice Charles A. Pannell, Jr., retired.
Leo T. Sorokin, of Massachusetts, to be United States District Judge for the District of Massachusetts, vice Joseph L. Tauro, retired.
James Alan Soto, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona, vice David C. Bury, retired.
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:
President Obama also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:
President Obama said, “I am grateful these accomplished men and women have agreed to join this Administration, and I’m confident they will serve ably in these important roles. I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”
President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:
Paige Eve Alexander, Nominee for Assistant Administrator for the Middle East, United States Agency for International Development
Paige Eve Alexander is the Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a position she has held since 2010. Previously, Ms. Alexander was the Senior Vice President at IREX. Prior to joining IREX in 2001, Ms. Alexander served for eight years in a number of positions within USAID’s Bureau for Europe and Eurasia, including Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator. Ms. Alexander served as Associate Director of Project Liberty at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and as a consultant to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the C.S. Mott Foundation, and the Open Society Institute. She also served as a Board Member for the Project on Middle East Democracy. Ms. Alexander received a B.A. from Tulane University.
Sharon Y. Bowen, Nominee for Commissioner, Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Sharon Y. Bowen is a partner at the law firm of Latham & Watkins LLP. She joined Latham & Watkins as an associate in 1988 and became partner in 1991. Prior to this, from 1982 to 1988, Ms. Bowen was an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP. Ms. Bowen also currently serves as a Member and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, a position she has held since 2010. She has served on the Boards of Northwestern University School of Law, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, and Public Education Needs Civic Involvement in Learning. Ms. Bowen received a B.A. from the University of Virginia, a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management.
John C. Cruden, Nominee for Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division, Department of Justice
John C. Cruden is President of the Environmental Law Institute, a position he has held since 2011. Mr. Cruden previously served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General from 1995 to 2011 and as Chief of the Environmental Enforcement Section from 1991 to 1995 in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ). Before joining DOJ, Mr. Cruden was the Chief Legislative Counsel of the Army. He completed military legal assignments as a criminal prosecutor in Germany, and served as a Staff Judge Advocate as well as Chief of the Litigation Branch in Europe. Mr. Cruden was General Counsel for the Defense Nuclear Agency and Director of Administrative and Civil Law at the Judge Advocate General’s School in Charlottesville, Virginia. Before becoming an attorney, he served in Airborne, Ranger, and Special Forces units in Germany and Vietnam. Mr. Cruden has been the President of the District of Columbia Bar Association and Chairman of the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy and Natural Resources. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and received an M.A. in Government and Foreign Relations from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from Santa Clara Law School.
Janet McCabe, Nominee for Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, Environmental Protection Agency
Janet McCabe is the Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation at the Environmental Protection Agency, a position she has held since 2009. Previously, Ms. McCabe was Executive Director of Improving Kids’ Environment, Inc. and an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Health at the Indiana University School of Medicine from 2005 to 2009. Ms. McCabe worked as Assistant Commissioner in the Office of Air Quality at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management from 1998 to 2005 and previously served as Branch Chief from 1993 to 1998. Ms. McCabe served as Assistant Attorney General for Environmental Protection for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1984 to 1989 and as Assistant Secretary for Environmental Impact Review from 1989 to 1993. From 1983 to 1984, Ms. McCabe was a law clerk for Justice Neil L. Lynch in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Ms. McCabe received an A.B. from Harvard College, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Leon Rodriguez, Nominee for Director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security
Leon Rodriguez is the Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services, a position he has held since 2011. From 2010 to 2011, he served as Chief of Staff and Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice (DOJ). Previously, Mr. Rodriguez was County Attorney for Montgomery County, Maryland from 2007 to 2010. He was a principal at Ober, Kaler, Grimes & Shriver in Washington, D.C. from 2001 to 2007. He served in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania from 1997 to 2001, first as Chief of the White Collar Crimes Section from 1998 to 1999 and then as First Assistant U.S. Attorney until his departure. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Rodriguez was a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division at DOJ from 1994 to 1997 and a Senior Assistant District Attorney at the Kings County District Attorney’s Office in New York from 1988 to 1994. He received a B.A. from Brown University and a J.D. from Boston College Law School.
Ambassador David B. Shear, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, Department of Defense
Ambassador David B. Shear is the U.S. Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, a position he has held since 2011. From 2009 to 2011, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of State (DOS). Previously, he was the Director of the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at DOS. Mr. Shear joined the Foreign Service in 1982 and has served in Sapporo, Beijing, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, and Washington, D.C. Mr. Shear received a B.A. from Earlham College and an M.A from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and has attended Waseda University, Taiwan National University, and Nanjing University.
President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:
Jane Watson Stetson, Appointee for Member, Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Jane Watson Stetson served as National Finance Chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2009 to 2012. From 2007 to 2008, she was Vermont Finance Chair for the Obama for America campaign. From 2005 to 2006, Ms. Stetson served as Finance Chair for Congressman Peter Welch. In 1997, Ms. Stetson co-founded the William E. Boyle, Jr. Community Pediatrics Program at Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth. She is Chair of the Partners for Community Wellness at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. She also chairs its Executive Committee, and formerly served on its Community Advisory Board. She also served on the boards of the Mountain School of Milton Academy in Vershire, Vermont and Proctor Academy in Andover, New Hampshire.
Mary Jacksteit, Appointee for Chairman, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Federal Labor Relations Authority
Mary Jacksteit has been a sole practitioner of her own facilitation and mediation firm since 2000. She is Chairman of the Federal Service Impasses Panel, a position she has held since her appointment in 2009. She is currently working with the National Institute for Civil Discourse supporting the National Dialogue on Mental Health launched by President Obama in 2013. From 2003 to 2006, Ms. Jacksteit directed the Collaboration DC project at Search for Common Ground. From 1993 to 1999, Ms. Jacksteit was the Project Director of Search for Common Ground's Network for Life and Choice. From 1977 to 1984, Ms. Jacksteit served as Attorney and Deputy General Counsel for the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO. Ms. Jacksteit was previously a Member of the Federal Service Impasses Panel from 1995 to 2002. Ms. Jacksteit received a B.A. from University of Pittsburgh, a J.D. from Georgetown University, and an M.S. from George Mason University.
Martin H. Malin, Appointee for Member, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Federal Labor Relations Authority
Martin H. Malin is the Director of the Institute for Law and the Workplace and a professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s (IIT) Chicago-Kent College of Law. He is a Member of the Federal Service Impasses Panel, a position he has held since his appointment in 2009. He served as a Norman and Edna Freehling Scholar from 1990 to 1993. Mr. Malin has been an Arbitrator, Mediator, and Hearing Officer working on panels in the Chicago area since 1984. From 1984 to 1986, Mr. Malin was a consultant to Illinois’ public employment labor boards. From 1978 to 1980, he was an assistant professor of business law at The Ohio State University. From 1976 to 1978, Mr. Malin was a law clerk to the Honorable Robert E. DeMascio, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Mr. Malin serves as Secretary of the American Bar Association’s Section on Labor and Employment Law and as a member of the Board of Governors of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Previously, he served on the Board of Governors of the National Academy of Arbitrators. Mr. Malin received a B.A. from Michigan State University and a J.D. from George Washington University.
Don Wasserman, Appointee for Member, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Federal Labor Relations Authority
Don Wasserman has been a labor relations professional for his entire career. He is a Member of the Federal Service Impasses Panel, a position he has held since his appointment in 2009. Since 2001, he has arbitrated and mediated disputes within various state and local government services, the Federal Government, and the non-profit and corporate sectors. From 1995 to 2001, Mr. Wasserman served as a Member and then Chairman of the Federal Labor Relations Authority. From 1967 to 1995, Mr. Wasserman was the Assistant to the President and Director of Research and Collective Bargaining at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Mr. Wasserman is also a member of the D.C. Public Employee Relations Board and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Employee Relations Council. He has also been on the labor rosters of the American Arbitration Association, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and National Mediation Board. Mr. Wasserman received a B.S. from Temple University and an M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Eric Dannenmaier, Appointee for Member, Joint Public Advisory Committee of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Dr. Eric Dannenmaier is a Professor of Law at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, where he has been a member of the faculty since 2007. Dr. Dannenmaier was a visiting Associate Professor of Law at Tulane University from 2006 to 2007 and served as Director of Tulane’s Institute for Environmental Law and Policy from 2001 to 2005. In 2001, Dr. Dannenmaier was a Visiting Chair of Natural Resources Law at the University of Calgary. From 2000 to 2001, he served as an adjunct associate professor and from 1996 to 1999, he was a Professorial Lecturer at American University Washington College of Law. Concurrently, from 1996 to 2001, Dr. Dannenmaier served as the Director of the Environmental Law Program of the U.S. Agency for International Development. He was an environmental attorney at Bryan, Cave, LLP from 1990 to 1995; a Litigation Attorney at McDermott, Will & Emery from 1985 to 1990; and an Associate Attorney at Herrick & Smith from 1984 to 1985. Dr. Dannenmaier received a B.A. from Drury University, a J.D. from Boston University School of Law, an M.St. from Oxford University, and an L.L.M and J.S.D. from Columbia Law School.
Robert Varney, Appointee for Member, Joint Public Advisory Committee of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Robert Varney is the Executive Vice President of Normandeau Associates, a position he has held since 2009. Previously, Mr. Varney served as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 1 (New England) Administrator from 2001 to 2009. From 1989 to 2001, he was the Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and in 1989, he served as the Director of the New Hampshire Office of State Planning. Mr. Varney was the Executive Director of Nashua Regional Planning from 1987 to 1989 and served as the Executive Director of the Upper Valley-Lake Sunapee Council from 1983 to 1987. Mr. Varney received a B.A. from University of New Hampshire and an M.S. from Michigan State University.
James J. Murren, Appointee for Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Council
James J. Murren has been the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MGM Resorts International since 2008. He has been a member of the Board of Directors since joining MGM Resorts International in 1998 and President since 1999. Mr. Murren has held various positions at MGM, including Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer. Mr. Murren worked in the financial industry for 14 years in a number of positions, including Managing Director and Co-Director of Equity Research of Deutsche Morgan Grenfell, formerly C.J. Lawrence. He is currently the Vice Chair of the American Gaming Association and a member of the Board of Trustees of Brookings Institution. Mr. Murren received a B.A. from Trinity College.
Hill Harper, Appointee for Member, President's Cancer Panel
Hill Harper is a film, television, and stage actor and currently a cast member on the USA television drama Covert Affairs, where he plays the role of Calder Michaels. He is a Member of the President’s Cancer Panel, a position he has held since his appointment in 2012. During his career, Mr. Harper has appeared in numerous films, television shows, and plays and has received seven NAACP Image Awards for his writing and acting. Mr. Harper is a survivor of thyroid cancer. In 2011, he authored The Wealth Cure: Putting Money in Its Place, a New York Times bestseller which chronicles his diagnosis with thyroid cancer and his journey to health. He received a B.A. from Brown University, an M.P.A. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Mr. President:)
On December 18, 2013, approximately 45 U.S. Armed Forces personnel deployed to South Sudan to support the security of U.S. personnel and our Embassy. Although equipped for combat, this force was deployed for the purpose of protecting U.S. citizens and property. This force will remain in South Sudan until the security situation becomes such that it is no longer needed.
This action has been directed consistent with my responsibility to protect U.S. citizens both at home and abroad, and in furtherance of U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct U.S. foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive.
I am providing this report as part of my efforts to keep the Congress fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148). I appreciate the support of the Congress in these actions.
Sincerely,
BARACK OBAMA
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, President Obama nominated Judge Julie E. Carnes and Judge Gregg Jeffrey Costa to serve on the United States Courts of Appeals.
“Judges Carnes and Costa have displayed exceptional dedication to public service throughout their careers," President Obama said. "I am honored to nominate them today to serve the American people on the United States Courts of Appeals. I am confident that they will be judicious and esteemed additions to the Eleventh and the Fifth Circuits."
Judge Julie E. Carnes: Nominee for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Judge Julie E. Carnes has served as a United States District Judge in the Northern District of Georgia since 1992 and has served as Chief Judge of the court since 2009. Judge Carnes was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and received her J.D. magna cum laude in 1975 from the University of Georgia School of Law, where she served on the editorial board of the Georgia Law Review, and her B.A. summa cum laude in 1972 from the University of Georgia. She began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge Lewis R. Morgan of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from 1975 to 1977. From 1978 to 1990, she was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Georgia, serving as the Appellate Chief of the Criminal Division during most of her tenure. From 1990 to 1996, Judge Carnes served as a Commissioner on the United States Sentencing Commission. In addition to serving as Chief Judge of the Northern District of Georgia, Judge Carnes served on, and then chaired, the Criminal Law Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States from 2005 to 2010. A present member of the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Council, she also has served on the Eleventh Circuit Pattern Jury Instruction Committee and chaired the 2007 Planning Committee for the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Conference.
Judge Gregg Jeffrey Costa: Nominee for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Judge Gregg Jeffrey Costa is a United States District Judge in the Southern District of Texas. Judge Costa was raised in Richardson, Texas and received his B.A. in 1994 from Dartmouth College. After graduating from college, Judge Costa taught elementary school from 1994 to 1996 in Sunflower, Mississippi through the Teach for America program. He received his J.D. with highest honors in 1999 from the University of Texas School of Law, where he served as Editor in Chief of the Texas Law Review. From 1999 to 2000, Judge Costa served as a law clerk for Judge A. Raymond Randolph of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The following year, he was a Bristow Fellow at the Office of the Solicitor General in the United States Department of Justice. From 2001 to 2002, he served as a law clerk for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist of the United States Supreme Court. After his clerkships, Judge Costa returned to Texas and worked as an associate at the law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP from 2002 to 2005. He then joined the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Texas, where he focused on investigating and prosecuting fraud cases. Judge Costa was one of the lead prosecutors of R. Allen Stanford, who was convicted of committing the second-largest Ponzi scheme in United States history. Judge Costa remained at the United States Attorney’s Office until he was appointed to the United States Court for the Southern District of Texas in April 2012.
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, President Obama nominated Judge Michael P. Boggs, Tanya S. Chutkan, Mark Howard Cohen, Judge M. Hannah Lauck, Leigh Martin May, Judge Eleanor Ross, Judge Leo T. Sorokin, and Judge James Alan Soto to serve on the United States District Courts.
“I am honored to put forward these highly qualified candidates for the federal bench,” President Obama said. “They will be distinguished public servants and valuable additions to the United States District Courts.”
Judge Michael P. Boggs: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
Judge Michael P. Boggs has been a judge on the Court of Appeals of Georgia since January 2012. Previously, Judge Boggs served as a Superior Court Judge in the Waycross Judicial Circuit of the First Judicial Administrative District of Georgia from 2004 to 2012. While serving as a Superior Court Judge, he established and presided over the court’s felony drug court program. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Boggs was a sole practitioner from 1998 to 2005 and worked in private practice in various law firms from 1990 to 1998. In 2000, he was elected to serve as a Democratic State Representative to Georgia’s General Assembly, a position he held until 2004. Judge Boggs received his J.D. in 1990 from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law and his B.A. in 1985 from Georgia Southern College.
Tanya S. Chutkan: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
Tanya S. Chutkan is currently a partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, where her practice focuses on complex civil litigation and specifically antitrust class action cases. Prior to joining the firm in 2002, Chutkan was a trial attorney and supervisor at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 2002. From 1990 to 1991, she worked at the law firm of Donovan, Leisure, Rogovin, Huge & Schiller, and from 1987 to 1990, she worked at Hogan & Hartson LLP (now Hogan Lovells). Chutkan received her J.D. in 1987 from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and her B.A. in 1983 from George Washington University.
Mark Howard Cohen: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
Mark Howard Cohen is a litigation partner at the Atlanta law firm of Troutman Sanders LLP, where he has worked since 1999 and has been a partner since 2001. Cohen previously worked for Governor Zell Miller, serving as Executive Secretary from 1998 to 1999 and as Executive Counsel from 1995 to 1998. In 1995, he was appointed Chief State Administrative Law Judge and managed the newly-created Office of State Administrative Hearings in Georgia. From 1981 to 1994, Cohen worked in the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, where he represented state agencies in federal and state litigation. He began his legal career as a law clerk to Magistrate Judge Joel M. Feldman of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Cohen received his J.D. in 1979 from Emory University School of Law and his B.A. magna cum laude in 1976 from Emory University.
Judge M. Hannah Lauck: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
Judge M. Hannah Lauck has been a United States Magistrate Judge in the Eastern District of Virginia since 2005. Previously, she worked as a Supervising Attorney at Genworth Financial, Inc. from 2004 to 2005. From 1994 to 2004, she was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. Judge Lauck worked in private practice at Anderson Kill Olick & Oshinsky from 1992 to 1994 and began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge James R. Spencer of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia from 1991 to 1992. She received her J.D. in 1991 from Yale Law School and her B.A. magna cum laude in 1986 from Wellesley College.
Leigh Martin May: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
Leigh Martin May is a partner at the Atlanta office of Butler, Wooten & Fryhofer LLP, where she has worked since joining the firm in 2000. Her legal practice focuses on complex civil litigation in both state and federal courts. From 1998 to 2000, May served as a law clerk to Judge Dudley H. Bowen, Jr. of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. She received her J.D. magna cum laude in 1998 from the University of Georgia School of Law and her B.S. with honors in 1993 from the Georgia Institute of Technology. May is currently the Vice Chair of the Litigation Section of the Atlanta Bar Association.
Judge Eleanor Louise Ross: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
Judge Eleanor Louise Ross has served on the DeKalb County State Court in Georgia since 2011. Previously, she spent fifteen years as a prosecutor at both the federal and state levels. From 2007 to 2011, she was Executive Assistant District Attorney in the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office; from 2002 to 2005, she was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Georgia; and from 1998 to 2002, she was Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. Judge Ross served as an Assistant Solicitor General in the Office of the DeKalb County Solicitor-General from 1997 to 1998 and began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Tarrant County from 1995 to 1996. She received her J.D. in 1994 from the University of Houston Law Center and her B.A. in 1989 from American University.
Judge Leo T. Sorokin: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
Judge Leo T. Sorokin currently serves as the Chief United States Magistrate Judge in the District of Massachusetts, a position he assumed in 2012 after serving for seven years as a United States Magistrate Judge in the same District. Previously, Judge Sorokin worked as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Boston from 1997 to 2005. From 1994 to 1997, he served in the Office of the Attorney General of Massachusetts as an Assistant Attorney General and, from 1996 to 1997, as Opinions Coordinator. He worked in private practice at the law firm of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo P.C. from 1992 to 1994, and he served as a law clerk for Judge Rya W. Zobel of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1992. Judge Sorokin received his J.D. in 1991 from Columbia Law School and his B.A. cum laude in 1983 from Yale College.
Judge James Alan Soto: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Arizona
Judge James Alan Soto currently serves as the Presiding Superior Court Judge in Santa Cruz County, Arizona—a court on which he has served since 2001. From 1992 to 2001, Judge Soto was president and a shareholder of Soto, Martin and Coogan, P.C.; from 1979 to 1992, he was in private practice in various law partnerships; from 1976 to 1979, he was a sole practitioner; and from 1975 to 1976, he worked in the Law Offices of Nasib Karam. Additionally, Judge Soto worked as a part-time Town Attorney in Patagonia, Arizona from 1975 until approximately 1992; as a part-time Deputy City Attorney in the Office of the Nogales City Attorney from 1975 until approximately 1983; and as a part-time Deputy County Attorney for the Santa Cruz County Attorney’s Office in 1979. He received his J.D. in 1975 from Arizona State University College of Law and his B.S. in 1971 from Arizona State University.
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
Three years ago, I signed the bipartisan Fair Sentencing Act, which dramatically narrowed the disparity between penalties for crack and powder cocaine offenses. This law began to right a decades-old injustice, but for thousands of inmates, it came too late. If they had been sentenced under the current law, many of them would have already served their time and paid their debt to society. Instead, because of a disparity in the law that is now recognized as unjust, they remain in prison, separated from their families and their communities, at a cost of millions of taxpayer dollars each year.
Today, I am commuting the prison terms of eight men and women who were sentenced under an unfair system. Each of them has served more than 15 years in prison. In several cases, the sentencing judges expressed frustration that the law at the time did not allow them to issue punishments that more appropriately fit the crime.
Commuting the sentences of these eight Americans is an important step toward restoring fundamental ideals of justice and fairness. But it must not be the last. In the new year, lawmakers should act on the kinds of bipartisan sentencing reform measures already working their way through Congress. Together, we must ensure that our taxpayer dollars are spent wisely, and that our justice system keeps its basic promise of equal treatment for all.
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
WASHINGTON, DC - Today President Barack Obama granted clemency to twenty-one individuals, consisting of eight commutations and thirteen pardons.
The President granted commutations to the following eight individuals:
Clarence Aaron - Mobile, Ala.
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; attempt to possess cocaine with intent to distribute (Southern District of Alabama)
Sentence: Life imprisonment, five years' supervised release (Dec. 10, 1993)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on April 17, 2014
Stephanie Yvette George - Pensacola, Fla.
Offense: Conspiracy to possess cocaine base with intent to distribute (Northern District of Florida)
Sentence: Life imprisonment, ten years' supervised release (May 5, 1997)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on April 17, 2014
Ezell Gilbert - Tampa, Fla.
Offense: Possession with intent to deliver cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute marijuana (Middle District of Florida)
Sentence: 292 months' imprisonment, five years' supervised release (Mar. 25, 1997)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to time already served
Helen R. Alexander Gray - Ty Ty, Ga.
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (Middle District of Georgia)
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment (Oct. 8, 1996)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on April 17, 2014
Jason Hernandez - McKinney, Tex.
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute controlled substances; possession with intent to distribute and distribute crack cocaine and methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute a mixture of methamphetamine and cocaine hydrochloride; distribution of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a protected property; establishing a place for manufacture and distribution of controlled substances (Eastern District of Texas)
Sentence: Life imprisonment; eight years' supervised release; $5,000 fine (Oct. 2, 1998)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to 240 months (20 years)
Ricky Eugene Patterson - Fort Pierce, Fla.
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (Southern District of Florida)
Sentence: Life imprisonment, 10 years' supervised release (Aug. 3, 1995)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on April 17, 2014
Billy Ray Wheelock - Belton, Tex.
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of crack cocaine; possession with intent to distribute more than 5 grams of crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school; possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine (Western District of Texas)
Sentence: Life imprisonment, 10 years' supervised release, $3,000 fine (Jun. 9, 1993)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on April 17, 2014
Reynolds Allen Wintersmith, Jr. - Rockford, Ill.
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine and cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute crack (Northern District of Illinois)
Sentence: Life imprisonment, five years' supervised release, $1,000 fine (Nov. 23, 1994)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on April 17, 2014
The President granted pardons to the following thirteen individuals:
William Ricardo Alvarez - Marietta, Ga.
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin ; conspiracy to import heroin (District of Puerto Rico)
Sentence: Time served after nine months' imprisonment, four years' supervised release (Apr. 30, 1997; amended Jul. 31, 1997)
Charlie Lee Davis, Jr. - Wetumpka, Ala.
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; use of a minor to distribute cocaine base (Middle District of Alabama)
Sentence: 87 months' imprisonment, five years' supervised release (Mar. 21, 1995)
Ronald Eugene Greenwood - Crane, Mo.
Offense: Conspiracy to violate the Clean Water Act (District of South Dakota)
Sentence: Three years' probation, conditioned on six months' home confinement, 100 hours community service, $5,000 restitution, $1,000 fine (Nov. 18, 1996)
Little Joe Hatch, aka Joe Hatch Sr. - Lake Placid, Fla.
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute marijuana (Southern District of Florida)
Sentence: 60 months' imprisonment, four years' supervised release (May 15, 1990)
Martin Alan Hatcher. - Foley, Ala.
Offense: Distribution and possession with intent to distribute marijuana (Southern District of Alabama)
Sentence: Five years' probation (Nov. 9, 1992)
Derek James Laliberte - Auburn, Me.
Offense: Money laundering (District of Maine)
Sentence: 18 months' imprisonment, 2 years' supervised release (Oct. 2, 1992; amended May 21, 1993)
Alfred J. Mack - Manassas, Va.
Offense: Unlawful distribution of heroin (District of Columbia Superior Court)
Sentence: 18 to 54 months' imprisonment (Apr. 5, 1982)
Robert Andrew Schindler - Goshen, Va.
Offense: Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud (District of Utah)
Sentence: Three years' probation, four months' home confinement, $10,000 restitution (May 14, 1996)
Willie Shaw, Jr. - Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Offense: Armed bank robbery (District of South Carolina)
Sentence: Fifteen years' imprisonment (Aug. 7, 1974)
Kimberly Lynn Stout, formerly known as Kimberly Lynn Cooley - Bassett, Va.
Offense: Bank embezzlement; false entries in the books of a lending institution (Western District of Virginia)
Sentence: One day imprisonment, three years' supervised release (including five months home confinement) (Nov. 9, 1993)
Bernard Anthony Sutton, Jr. - Norfolk, Va.
Offense: Theft of personal property (Eastern District of Virginia)
Sentence: Three years' probation, $825 restitution, $500 fine (Apr. 4, 1989)
Chris Deann Switzer - Omaha, Neb.
Offense: Conspiracy to violate narcotics laws (methamphetamine) (District of Nebraska)
Sentence: Four years' probation, conditioned on six months home confinement, 200 hours' community service (Jun. 25, 1996)
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama meet with mothers regarding the Affordable Care Act in the Oval Office, Dec. 18, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
On Wednesday afternoon, President Obama and the First Lady met with a group of moms (and one aunt!) in the Oval Office to talk about how health reform has benefitted their families. They talked about the critical role that moms are playing in helping their families access quality, affordable health care by encouraging their adult children, family members and their peers to sign up for coverage.
Because many women in the group know first-hand why having the security of health insurance is so important, they’ve been working tirelessly to make sure that everybody in America is able to get high-quality health care coverage that provides them with financial protection and looks after them when they get sick.
“I think this conversation really drove home in a very personal way why this is important,” President Obama said. “Sometimes here in Washington, this is a very abstract conversation or an entirely political conversation. But when you boil it down to stories and people hear what it means to have the security of solid health insurance at an affordable price when you need it, it reminds me at least of why we've been fighting so hard to get this done.”
