Cathy Bissoon
Encyclopedia
Cathy Bissoon is an American lawyer and judge who serves on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
.
and her mother from Trinidad
. When Bissoon was four years old, her father was killed in a stabbing
close to the family home in the Williamsburg neighborhood
of Brooklyn. Bissoon's mother later remarried and the family moved to Queens, New York.
Bissoon attended Alfred University
in New York
, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts
in political science
in 1990. She earned her Juris Doctor
from Harvard Law School
in 1993. 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
.
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.
for the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
, replacing Judge Francis X. Caiazza. She joined the bench
on August 1, 2008, and is the first woman of color to sit on the federal bench in Pittsburgh.
During the 111th Congress
, Pennsylvania Senators Arlen Specter
and Bob Casey
recommended Bissoon for a seat on the Western District of Pennsylvania. On November 17, 2010, President Barack Obama
formally nominated Bissoon to be a United States district court judge, to replace Thomas Hardiman, who was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
in March 2007.
On October 17, 2011, the Senate voted 82–3 to confirm Bissoon. She received her commission on October 19, 2011.
United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania sits in Pittsburgh, Erie, and Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is composed of ten judges as authorized by federal law. The Honorable Judge Gary L. Lancaster is currently Chief Judge of the Western Pennsylvania District...
.
Early life and education
Bissoon was born on May 16, 1968 in Brooklyn, New York. Bissoon's father was from Puerto RicoPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and her mother from Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
. When Bissoon was four years old, her father was killed in a stabbing
Stabbing
A stabbing is penetration with a sharp or pointed object at close range. Stab connotes purposeful action, as by an assassin or murderer, but it is also possible to accidentally stab oneself or others.Stabbing differs from slashing or cutting in that the motion of the object used in a stabbing...
close to the family home in the Williamsburg neighborhood
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
of Brooklyn. Bissoon's mother later remarried and the family moved to Queens, New York.
Bissoon attended Alfred University
Alfred University
Alfred University is a small, comprehensive university in the Village of Alfred in Western New York, USA, an hour and a half south of Rochester and two hours southeast of Buffalo. Alfred has an undergraduate population of around 2,000, and approximately 300 graduate students...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
in 1990. She earned her Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1993. After completing law school, Bissoon joined the Pittsburgh office of Reed Smith
Reed Smith
Reed Smith LLP is a global law firm, with more than 1,600 lawyers in 23 offices throughout the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia....
, 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
Law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
for Judge Gary L. Lancaster
Gary L. Lancaster
Gary L. Lancaster is a United States federal judge.Born in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, Lancaster received a B.S. from Slippery Rock State College in 1971 and a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1974. He was a Regional counsel, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission from 1974...
of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania sits in Pittsburgh, Erie, and Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is composed of ten judges as authorized by federal law. The Honorable Judge Gary L. Lancaster is currently Chief Judge of the Western Pennsylvania District...
.
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.
Judicial service
In July 2008, Bissoon was selected to serve as a magistrate judgeUnited States magistrate judge
In the United States federal courts, magistrate judges are appointed to assist United States district court judges in the performance of their duties...
for the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania sits in Pittsburgh, Erie, and Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is composed of ten judges as authorized by federal law. The Honorable Judge Gary L. Lancaster is currently Chief Judge of the Western Pennsylvania District...
, replacing Judge Francis X. Caiazza. She joined the bench
Bench (law)
Bench in legal contexts means simply the location in a courtroom where a judge sits. The historical roots of that meaning come from the fact that judges formerly sat on long seats or benches when presiding over a court...
on August 1, 2008, and is the first woman of color to sit on the federal bench in Pittsburgh.
During the 111th Congress
111th United States Congress
The One Hundred Eleventh United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011. It began during the last two weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with the remainder spanning the first two years of...
, Pennsylvania Senators Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter is a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching to the Democratic Party in 2009...
and Bob Casey
Bob Casey, Jr.
Robert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Jr. is the senior U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as Pennsylvania Treasurer, and Pennsylvania Auditor General. He is the son of former Governor Bob Casey, Sr..He is the first Democrat elected to a full term in...
recommended Bissoon for a seat on the Western District of Pennsylvania. On November 17, 2010, President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
formally nominated Bissoon to be a United States district court judge, to replace Thomas Hardiman, who was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:* District of Delaware* District of New Jersey...
in March 2007.
On October 17, 2011, the Senate voted 82–3 to confirm Bissoon. She received her commission on October 19, 2011.