Draft:Kenechukwu Onyemaechi Okocha

Kene Okocha
Personal details
Born
Kenechukwu Onyemaechi Okocha
Spouse
Cherri Barksdale
(m. 2017)
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison (BS, JD)

Kenechukwu Onyemaechi "Kene" Okocha[1] is an American lawyer who is the nominee to serve as an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Education edit

Okocha earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2004 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2007.[2][3]

Career edit

After graduating from law school, Okocha worked for the Greenlining Institute. From 2008 to 2010, he served as an assistant district attorney in the Dane County District Attorney's Office.[4] Since 2011, he has served as an assistant United States attorney for the District of Columbia.[5][6] Since 2019, Okocha has been deputy chief for the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Division in that office.[3]

Nomination to D.C. superior court edit

On June 7, 2023, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Okocha to serve as an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.[2] On June 8, 2023, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Okocha to the seat vacated by Judge William W. Nooter, who retired on February 25, 2023.[7] A hearing on his nomination before the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs was held on September 7, 2023.[8] On September 12, 2023, his nomination was reported out of the committee by a 7–5 vote.[9] On January 3, 2024, his nomination was returned to the president under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate.[10] He was renominated on January 11, 2024.[11] On January 31, 2024, his nomination was reported out of the committee by a 8–5 vote.[12] His nomination is pending before the United States Senate.

Personal life edit

In 2017, Okocha married Cherri Barksdale. He is Nigerian-American.[13]

References edit

  1. ^ "Wisconsin Lawyer: Final Thought Learning While Teaching". State Bar of Wisconsin. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "President Biden Names Thirty-Fourth Round of Judicial Nominees and One New Nominee to Serve as U.S. Attorney". The White House. June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Kenechukwu Okocha '07 Nominated To Serve as Judge for D.C. Superior Court | University of Wisconsin Law School". law.wisc.edu. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  4. ^ "Kenechukwu O. Okocha, Esq | jnc". jnc.dc.gov. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  5. ^ Thomsen, Jacqueline (June 7, 2023). "Biden taps US prosecutors for federal judgeships in Louisiana". Reuters. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  6. ^ Swan, Betsy Woodruff (June 7, 2023). "Biden rolls out 2 new red-state judicial picks". POLITICO. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  7. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. June 8, 2023.
  8. ^ "NOMINATIONS OF THE HONORABLE ROBERT G. TAUB TO BE A COMMISSIONER, POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION, AND TANYA M. JONES BOSIER, DANNY L.H. NGUYEN, AND KENECHUKWU O. OKOCHA TO BE ASSOCIATE JUDGES, SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. September 7, 2023.
  9. ^ "Memo" (PDF). Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. September 12, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  10. ^ "PN767 — Kenechukwu Onyemaechi Okocha — The Judiciary". congress.gov. January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  11. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). January 11, 2024.
  12. ^ "Memo" (PDF). Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. January 31, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  13. ^ Bride, Black (April 2, 2019). "Okocha Wedding | Washington, D.C. Real Wedding". Black Bride. Retrieved June 10, 2023.