Michigan District Court Judges Confirmed by Senate

U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin today welcomed Senate votes confirming four judges to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit.

The Senate confirmed the nominations of Matthew Frederick Leitman, Judith Ellen Levy, Laurie J. Michelson and Linda Vivienne Parker by 98-0, 97-0, 98-0, and 60-37, respectively.

"Today's vote is great news for Michigan," said Stabenow. "These four highly respected jurists have dedicated their careers to our community and to public service and will serve our state with great distinction."

"Senator Stabenow and I recommended each of these judges to the president after their selection by a broad-based screening committee of Michigan legal experts," Levin said. "Each of them has demonstrated a mastery of the law and the impartiality required of a judge, and I know they will serve justice and the people of Michigan well."

Leitman is a principal at the law firm Miller Canfield PLC in Troy, where he specializes in complex commercial and criminal law. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Harvard Law School.

Levy has been an assistant United States attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan since 2000 and serves as the chief of the Civil Rights Unit there. She is a graduate of U-M and U-M Law School.

Michelson has served as a United States magistrate judge in the Eastern District of Michigan since 2011. She is a graduate of U-M and the Northwestern University School of Law.

Parker is a judge on the Third Judicial Circuit Court of Michigan and a former director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. She is a graduate of U-M and the George Washington University Law School.