Stephen Murphy III
Encyclopedia
Stephen Joseph Murphy III (born in St. Louis, Missouri
, September 23, 1962) is a federal judge
on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
, and a former United States Attorney
for the Eastern District of Michigan from 2005-2008. He is also a former nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
.
On March 9, 2005, Murphy began service as United States Attorney in Detroit, pending full Senate confirmation, which occurred on June 8, 2005. He replaced presidentially appointed United States Attorney Jeffrey Collins, and served continuously in the position as a presidential appointee until he took the bench on August 18, 2008. During his term, Murphy developed innovative programs to address national security and child protection issues. He worked to build office morale and to strengthen the US Attorney's ties with federal and law enforcement, and with the community at large. He served as chair of the local US Attorney General's Anti-Terrorism Advisory Committee and of the Michigan High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area ("HIDTA") group.
On June 28, 2006, Murphy was nominated with Raymond M. Kethledge
by President George W. Bush
to fill two vacancies for the state of Michigan
on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
. Murphy was to occupy a seat made vacant by the death of Susan Bieke Neilson
. At the time, the Senate was controlled by the Republicans. After the Democrats regained control of the Senate in November 2006, Democratic Michigan senators Carl Levin
and Debbie Stabenow
balked at confirming any more Bush nominees from their state to the Sixth Circuit.
On April 15, 2008, as part of a deal to unblock this logjam, Bush renominated failed Clinton nominee Helene White
to the Sixth Circuit, more than eleven years after her first nomination. She replaced Murphy as the nominee to fill Neilson's empty seat, while Murphy was nominated to replace Judge Patrick Duggan on the U.S. District Court, a vacancy that had sat unfilled since 2000. In return for White's renomination, Levin and Stabenow agreed to allow Kethledge to be confirmed as a circuit court judge, and Murphy to be confirmed as a district court judge.
Kethledge, Murphy and White received a joint hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 7, 2008, and were voted out of committee on June 12, 2008. On June 24, 2008, all three were confirmed. Kethledge and Murphy were confirmed by voice vote
. "It's a huge thrill and an enormous honor," Murphy told the Detroit Free Press in an article that was published on June 26, 2008.
After a collegiate career at Marquette University, Murphy excelled at the Saint Louis University School of Law, where he edited the law review, served on the Moot Court Board, and won a fellowship in public law. He achievements there paved the way for selection as a litigator with US Department of Justice through the Attorney General's Honor Program, along with subsequent success as an Assistant US Attorney in Detroit and a member of the General Motors Legal Staff working on internal investigations and "white collar" matters.
Murphy has been very active in the community, serving on various local boards as well as on the US Courts committee and Board of Commissioners of the State Bar of Michigan.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, September 23, 1962) is a federal judge
Federal judge
Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state / provincial / local level.-Brazil:In Brazil, federal judges of first instance are chosen exclusively by public contest...
on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan is the Federal district court with jurisdiction over of the eastern portion of the state of Michigan. The Court is based in Detroit, with courthouses also located in Ann Arbor, Bay City, Flint, and Port Huron...
, and a former United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the Eastern District of Michigan from 2005-2008. He is also a former nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Kentucky* Western District of Kentucky...
.
On March 9, 2005, Murphy began service as United States Attorney in Detroit, pending full Senate confirmation, which occurred on June 8, 2005. He replaced presidentially appointed United States Attorney Jeffrey Collins, and served continuously in the position as a presidential appointee until he took the bench on August 18, 2008. During his term, Murphy developed innovative programs to address national security and child protection issues. He worked to build office morale and to strengthen the US Attorney's ties with federal and law enforcement, and with the community at large. He served as chair of the local US Attorney General's Anti-Terrorism Advisory Committee and of the Michigan High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area ("HIDTA") group.
On June 28, 2006, Murphy was nominated with Raymond M. Kethledge
Raymond Kethledge
Raymond M. Kethledge is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.- Background :...
by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
to fill two vacancies for the state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Kentucky* Western District of Kentucky...
. Murphy was to occupy a seat made vacant by the death of Susan Bieke Neilson
Susan Bieke Neilson
Susan Bieke Neilson was a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and before that, a state trial judge in Michigan.- Background :...
. At the time, the Senate was controlled by the Republicans. After the Democrats regained control of the Senate in November 2006, Democratic Michigan senators Carl Levin
Carl Levin
Carl Milton Levin is a Jewish-American United States Senator from Michigan, serving since 1979. He is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
and Debbie Stabenow
Debbie Stabenow
Deborah Ann Greer "Debbie" Stabenow is the junior United States Senator from Michigan and a member of the Democratic Party. Before her election to the U.S. Senate, she was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Michigan's 8th congressional district from 1997 to 2001...
balked at confirming any more Bush nominees from their state to the Sixth Circuit.
On April 15, 2008, as part of a deal to unblock this logjam, Bush renominated failed Clinton nominee Helene White
Helene White
Helene N. White is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Previously, she was a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals.- Background :...
to the Sixth Circuit, more than eleven years after her first nomination. She replaced Murphy as the nominee to fill Neilson's empty seat, while Murphy was nominated to replace Judge Patrick Duggan on the U.S. District Court, a vacancy that had sat unfilled since 2000. In return for White's renomination, Levin and Stabenow agreed to allow Kethledge to be confirmed as a circuit court judge, and Murphy to be confirmed as a district court judge.
Kethledge, Murphy and White received a joint hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 7, 2008, and were voted out of committee on June 12, 2008. On June 24, 2008, all three were confirmed. Kethledge and Murphy were confirmed by voice vote
Voice vote
A voice vote is a voting method used by deliberative assemblies in which a vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding verbally....
. "It's a huge thrill and an enormous honor," Murphy told the Detroit Free Press in an article that was published on June 26, 2008.
After a collegiate career at Marquette University, Murphy excelled at the Saint Louis University School of Law, where he edited the law review, served on the Moot Court Board, and won a fellowship in public law. He achievements there paved the way for selection as a litigator with US Department of Justice through the Attorney General's Honor Program, along with subsequent success as an Assistant US Attorney in Detroit and a member of the General Motors Legal Staff working on internal investigations and "white collar" matters.
Murphy has been very active in the community, serving on various local boards as well as on the US Courts committee and Board of Commissioners of the State Bar of Michigan.
External links
- White House nomination
- Thomas, Ken, "Bush nominates Michigan appellate judge to 6th Circuit slot," The Associated Press, April 15, 2008.
- Egan, Paul, and Trowbridge, Gordon, "U.S. Attorney in Detroit nominated to federal bench," The Detroit News, April 15, 2008.