Lauren J. King

American judge (born 1982)

Lauren J. King


Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
Incumbent
Assumed office December 7, 2021
Appointed by	Joe Biden
Preceded by	Robert S. Lasnik

Personal details
Born	1982 (age 41–42) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Nationality	American Muscogee (Creek) Nation
Education	University of Washington (BA) University of Virginia (JD)

Lauren Jennifer King (born 1982)^[1] is an American attorney who is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Early life and education

King was born in Oklahoma City. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington in 2004 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2008.^[2] King is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.^[3]

Career

King was an associate at K&L Gates from 2008 to 2009 and Byrnes Keller Cromwel from 2010 to 2012. She was a principal at Foster Garvey, P.C. based in Seattle, Washington, where she practiced from 2012 to 2021.^[4] She served as a pro tem appellate judge for the Northwest Intertribal Court System from 2013 to 2021. She was also appointed as a commissioner on the Washington State Gambling Commission. She previously taught Federal Indian Law at the Seattle University School of Law.^[2]^[5]

Federal judicial service

On March 30, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated King to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington to the seat vacated by Judge Robert S. Lasnik, who assumed senior status on January 27, 2016.^[6] On June 9, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.^[7] On July 15, 2021, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 13–9 vote.^[8] On October 5, 2021, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 55–44 vote.^[9] Her nomination was confirmed later that day by a 55–44 vote.^[10] She received her judicial commission on December 7, 2021.^[11] She was sworn in on December 15, 2021.^[12] She is the first Native-American federal judge to serve in Washington State.^[13] She is the sixth Native American federal judge to serve in the United States.^[14]

References

^ United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Lauren Jennifer King
^ ^a ^b "President Biden Announces Third Slate of Judicial Nominees", White House, May 12, 2021 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ Ellis, angel (2021-05-17). "Mvskoke woman could become the third Native American federal judge". MVSKOKE Media. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
^ Kelley, Alexandra (2021-05-12). "Biden nominates first Native American federal judge in Washington state history". The Hill. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
^ Bendery, Jennifer (2021-05-12). "There Are Only 2 Native American Federal Judges. Biden Just Nominated A Third". HuffPost. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate", White House, May 12, 2021
^ United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for June 9, 2021
^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – July 15, 2021" (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Senate Judiciary Committee. July 15, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Lauren J. King to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington)". United States Senate. October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Lauren J. King, of Washington, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington)". United States Senate. October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
^ Lauren J. King at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
^ "THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON WELCOMES DISTRICT JUDGE LAUREN KING" (PDF). wawd.uscourts.gov. December 16, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
^ Brennan, Natasha (October 5, 2021). "U.S. Senate confirms first Native American federal judge in WA history". Tri-City Herald. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
^ "American Indian Judges on the Federal Courts". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved October 15, 2022.