Obama Nominates Cohen-Recommended Sheri Lipman to Fill Federal Judgeship in Western District

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that President Obama has nominated Sheryl Lipman, Chief of Staff to University of Memphis Interim President R. Brad Martin and former University Counsel, to serve as District Court Judge for the Western District of Tennessee. The Congressman recommended Ms. Lipman after convening a diverse, bipartisan screening committee to conduct interviews of nine potential candidates for the position.

“Sheri Lipman has proven herself a stellar attorney and I am confident that she will be a superb judge,” said Congressman Cohen. “Her breadth of experience, strong work ethic, and unimpeachable integrity easily made her the overwhelming first choice of the screening committee of local attorneys. I commend President Obama for taking my recommendation into consideration and nominating such a skilled Memphis attorney to the federal bench. She will serve the Western District of Tennessee with distinction and the people of Memphis well.”

Congressman Cohen interviewed all nine candidates for this judicial vacancy with his bipartisan committee of thirteen local attorneys. This screening panel was not only unique in its distinguished composition, but in its diversity as well. Sheri Lipman was screening committee’s clear choice, receiving nine first place votes, and the Congressman promptly recommended her to President Obama to fill this vacancy.

Sheri Lipman has been an attorney since 1987 and has a wealth of legal experience. After attending the University of Michigan for her undergraduate degree, Ms. Lipman received her J.D. from the New York University School of Law. She first clerked for the Honorable Julia S. Gibbons, who now sits on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, when Judge Gibbons was a District Court Judge. Ms. Lipman was an attorney at the Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs law office in Memphis for more than 4 years before practicing at the venerable Burch, Porter and Johnson law firm from 1997 to 1999. She also served as Vice President of Comprehensive Services at the Memphis Race Relations & Diversity Institute from 1996 to 1997. For nearly 14 years, she has worked at the University of Memphis—first as Senior Attorney, then serving as University Counsel for more than a decade before being named Chief of Staff to Interim President R. Brad Martin.