Jeffrey James Helmick is a Toledo, Ohio

Toledo, Ohio

Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...

 criminal defense attorney and current federal judicial nominee to a judgeship on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio

United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio is the federal trial court for the northern half of Ohio...

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Early life and education

Helmick earned a bachelor's degree in 1983 from the University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 and a law degree in 1988 from the Moritz College of Law

Moritz College of Law

The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law is a public law school and charter member of the Association of American Law Schools. According to the 2010 U.S. News & World Report rankings, the Moritz College of Law is 35th in the nation overall and is in the top ten among public law schools. The...

 at The Ohio State University

Ohio State University

The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...

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Professional career

From 1988 until 1989, Helmick worked as an associate at the law firm Marshall & Melhorn. From 1989 until 1995, he worked as a principal in a law firm, and then he was a principal in another law firm from 1996 until 1998. Helmick co-founded his current law firm in 1998 and concentrates in federal criminal defense litigation.

Nomination to federal district court

On May 11, 2011, President Obama nominated Helmick to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio that had been vacated by Judge James G. Carr

James G. Carr

James G. Carr is a federal district judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.Carr was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He received a B.A. from Kenyon College in 1966, and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1969. He was in private practice of law in Chicago,...

, who took senior status

Senior status

Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...

 in June 2010. He was recommended for the post by senators George Voinovich

George Voinovich

George Victor Voinovich is a former United States Senator from the state of Ohio, and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served as the 65th Governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1998, and as the 54th mayor of Cleveland from 1980 to 1989.-Personal life:Born in Cleveland, Ohio, his father was...

 and Sherrod Brown

Sherrod Brown

Sherrod Campbell Brown is the senior United States Senator from Ohio and a member of the Democratic Party. Before his election to the U.S. Senate, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Ohio's 13th congressional district from 1993 to 2007...

, but his nomination is opposed by Voinovich's successor Rob Portman

Rob Portman

Robert Jones "Rob" Portman is the junior United States Senator from Ohio. He is a member of the Republican Party. He succeeded retiring Senator George Voinovich....

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Helmick's nomination currently is pending before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary

United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary

The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary is a standing committee of the United States Senate, of the United States Congress. The Judiciary Committee, with 18 members, is charged with conducting hearings prior to the Senate votes on confirmation of federal judges nominated by the...

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