| Cathy Bissoon | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office October 19, 2011 |
|
| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Thomas M. Hardiman |
| Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania | |
| In office August 1, 2008 – October 19, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Francis X. Caiazza |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1968 (age 43–44) Brooklyn, New York |
| Spouse(s) | Gregory Bradley |
| Alma mater | Alfred University (B.A.) Harvard Law School (J.D.) |
Cathy Bissoon (born 1968) is an American lawyer and judge who serves on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Contents |
Bissoon was born on May 16, 1968 in Brooklyn, New York.[1] Bissoon's father was from Puerto Rico and her mother from Trinidad.[2] When Bissoon was four years old, her father was killed in a stabbing close to the family home in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn.[2] Bissoon's mother later remarried and the family moved to Queens, New York.[2]
Bissoon attended Alfred University in New York, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1990.[3][4] She earned her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1993.[5] After completing law school, Bissoon joined the Pittsburgh office of Reed Smith, practicing in the firm's labor and employment group. While at Reed Smith, Bissoon took a one-year leave of absence to serve as a law clerk for Judge Gary L. Lancaster of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.[5]
In 2007, Bissoon joined the Pittsburgh law firm of Cohen & Grigsby where she was a director and the head of the firm's Labor & Employment Group.[3]
In July 2008, Bissoon was selected to serve as a magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, replacing Judge Francis X. Caiazza.[6] She joined the bench on August 1, 2008, and is the first woman of color to sit on the federal bench in Pittsburgh.[6]
During the 111th Congress, Pennsylvania Senators Arlen Specter and Bob Casey recommended Bissoon for a seat on the Western District of Pennsylvania.[4] On November 17, 2010, President Barack Obama formally nominated Bissoon to be a United States district court judge,[3] to replace Thomas Hardiman, who was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in March 2007.[5]
On October 17, 2011, the Senate voted 82–3 to confirm Bissoon. She received her commission on October 19, 2011.