Pamela Ann Barker (née Addison, born 1957) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. She formerly served as a Judge of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.

Pamela Barker
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
Assumed office
June 18, 2019
Appointed byDonald Trump
Preceded byDonald C. Nugent
Judge of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas
In office
September 19, 2011 – June 18, 2019
Appointed byJohn Kasich
Preceded bySteven Terry
Succeeded byJ. Philip Calabrese
Personal details
Born
Pamela Ann Addison

1957 (age 66–67)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyRepublican[1]
EducationKenyon College (BA)
Ohio State University (JD)

Early life and education

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Barker was born in 1957 in Cleveland, Ohio.[2] She earned her Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Kenyon College, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and her Juris Doctor from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.[3]

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Prior to ascending to the bench, Barker spent twenty-nine years representing individuals, small businesses, and corporations, with a particular emphasis on insurance litigation. From 2000 to 2011, she served as a Mayor's Court Magistrate and Juvenile Diversion Magistrate for the City of Brecksville, Ohio.[3]

She was appointed to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas by Governor John Kasich and assumed office on September 19, 2011.[4] Barker was elected to the court in November 2012. Her state court service ended on June 18, 2019, upon her elevation to the federal bench.

Federal judicial service

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On September 29, 2017, Ohio Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman recommended Barker for a federal judgeship.[5] On April 10, 2018, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Barker to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. On April 12, 2018, her nomination was sent to the Senate. She was nominated to the seat vacated by Judge Donald C. Nugent, who assumed senior status on January 1, 2017.[6] On October 10, 2018, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[7]

On January 3, 2019, her nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the Senate. On January 23, 2019, President Trump announced his intent to renominate Barker for a federal judgeship.[8] Her nomination was sent to the Senate later that day.[9] On February 7, 2019, her nomination was reported out of committee by a voice vote.[10] On June 11, 2019, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 89–7 vote.[11] On June 12, 2019, her nomination was confirmed by a 91–5 vote.[12] She received her judicial commission on June 18, 2019.[13] She was sworn in on June 19, 2019.[14]

Personal life

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Her parents are William D. Addison and Peggy Ann Addison. She is married to Jeffery L. Barker, with whom she has two sons.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "President Trump nominates Pamela Barker to be next Cleveland federal judge". The Plain Dealer. April 10, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Education and Personal Background". judgepamelabarker.com. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "President Donald J. Trump Announces Twelfth Wave of Judicial Nominees, Twelfth Wave of United States Attorneys, and Sixth Wave of United States Marshals" White House, April 10, 2018   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ "Governor Appoints Barker to Cuyahoga Common Pleas Court" (Press release). Supreme Court of Ohio and the Ohio Judicial System. September 1, 2011.
  5. ^ Heisig, Eric (September 29, 2017). "Cuyahoga County Judge Pamela Barker recommended for federal bench in Cleveland". Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  6. ^ "Twenty-Nine Nominations Sent to the Senate Today", The White House, April 12, 2018
  7. ^ United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for October 10, 2018
  8. ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Judicial Nominees", White House, January 23, 2019
  9. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate", White House, January 23, 2019
  10. ^ Results of Executive Business Meeting – February 7, 2019, Senate Judiciary Committee
  11. ^ On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Pamela A. Barker, of Ohio, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio), United States Senate, June 11, 2019
  12. ^ On the Nomination (Confirmation Pamela A. Barker, of Ohio, to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio), United States Senate, June 12, 2019
  13. ^ Pamela Barker at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  14. ^ "Judge Pamela A. Barker Sworn In". ohnd.uscourts.gov. June 19, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
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Legal offices
Preceded by
Steven Terry
Judge of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas
2011–2019
Succeeded by
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
2019–present
Incumbent