President Obama Nominates Three to Serve as District Court Judges

WASHINGTON, DC- Today, President Obama nominated Judge Landya B. McCafferty, Justice Brian Morris, and Judge Susan P. Watters to serve as district court judges.

“These individuals have had distinguished legal careers and I am honored to ask them to continue their work as judges on the federal bench,” said President Obama.  “They will serve the American people with integrity and an unwavering commitment to justice.”

Judge Landya B. McCafferty: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire
Judge Landya B. McCafferty currently serves as a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of New Hampshire, a position she has held since 2010.  Before becoming a federal magistrate judge, Judge McCafferty served as Disciplinary Counsel for the New Hampshire Attorney Discipline Office from 2003 to 2010 and as a staff attorney for the New Hampshire Public Defender Program from 1995 to 2003.  She clerked for Judge A. David Mazzone of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts from 1994 to 1995 and worked as an associate at the law firm of McLane, Graf, Raulerson & Middleton, P.A. from 1993 to 1994.  Judge McCafferty began her legal career as a law clerk for the Honorable Norman H. Stahl of the United States District Court of New Hampshire; she continued clerking for him upon his elevation to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.  She received her J.D. in 1991 from Northeastern University School of Law and her A.B. cum laude in 1984 from Harvard University. 

Justice Brian Morris:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Montana
Justice Brian Morris has served on the Montana Supreme Court since 2005.  Prior to his appointment to the bench, he served as the Solicitor of the Montana Department of Justice from 2001 to 2005.  From 2000 to 2001, Justice Morris was a Senior Legal Officer at the United Nations Compensation Commission in Geneva, Switzerland. He worked at the law firm of Goetz, Madden & Dunn, P.C. in Bozeman from 1995 to 2000, and from 1994 to 1995, he worked as a legal assistant with the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal in The Hague.  After graduating from law school, Justice Morris clerked for Judge John T. Noonan, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist of the United States Supreme Court.  He received his J.D. with distinction in 1992 from Stanford Law School and his M.A. and B.A. in 1987 from Stanford University.

Judge Susan P. Watters:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Montana
Judge Susan P. Watters is currently a judge on the Thirteenth Judicial District Court of Montana, a position that she has held since 1998.  From 1996 to 1998, she practiced both criminal and civil litigation at the law firm Hendrickson, Everson, Noennig & Woodward, P.C. in Billings.  Judge Watters was a sole practitioner focusing on criminal defense from 1995 to 1996 and a Deputy County Attorney in Yellowstone County, Montana, from 1989 to 1995.  From 1988 to 1989, she was a law clerk for two different judges on the Thirteenth Judicial District Court of Montana.  Judge Watters received her J.D. in 1988 from the University of Montana School of Law and her B.A. in 1980 from Eastern Montana College.