Vanessa Ruiz
Encyclopedia
Vanessa Ruiz is an Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
, the highest court for the District of Columbia.
Judge Ruiz was born in San Juan
, Puerto Rico
and graduated from Wellesley College in 1972 with a BA in Philosophy
and from Georgetown University
Law Center in 1975. She was appointed to the Court of Appeals by President Bill Clinton
on July 12, 1994 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 7, 1994. Prior to being appointed to the Court, Judge Ruiz was Corporation Counsel (now District of Columbia Attorney General) for the District of Columbia and an attorney in private practice, primarily in the Washington, D.C. office of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson
. Early in her career, Judge Ruiz was one of the first women to argue a case before the United States Supreme Court, arguing Havens Realty Corp. v. Coleman, 455 U.S. 363 (1982), a pro bono case dealing with housing discrimination, in which she prevailed.
Judge Ruiz is active in numerous organizations and serves as immediate Past President of the National Association of Women Judges. She is also a member of the American Law Institute
and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
.
Judge Ruiz is married to David E. Birenbaum, a retired partner of Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson and former US Ambassador to the UN for Management and Reform. They have three grandkids, Zoe, Gabby, and Aidan.
District of Columbia Court of Appeals
The District of Columbia Court of Appeals is the highest court of the District of Columbia. Established by the United States Congress in 1970, it is equivalent to a state supreme court, except that its power derives from Article I of the U.S. Constitution rather than from the inherent sovereignty...
, the highest court for the District of Columbia.
Judge Ruiz was born in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto 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 graduated from Wellesley College in 1972 with a BA in Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and from Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
Law Center in 1975. She was appointed to the Court of Appeals by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
on July 12, 1994 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 7, 1994. Prior to being appointed to the Court, Judge Ruiz was Corporation Counsel (now District of Columbia Attorney General) for the District of Columbia and an attorney in private practice, primarily in the Washington, D.C. office of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is a law firm founded in New York City in the early 20th century that has grown into an international law firm with offices in New York City, Washington, DC, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The firm has 468 attorneys worldwide...
. Early in her career, Judge Ruiz was one of the first women to argue a case before the United States Supreme Court, arguing Havens Realty Corp. v. Coleman, 455 U.S. 363 (1982), a pro bono case dealing with housing discrimination, in which she prevailed.
Judge Ruiz is active in numerous organizations and serves as immediate Past President of the National Association of Women Judges. She is also a member of the American Law Institute
American Law Institute
The American Law Institute was established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of American common law and its adaptation to changing social needs. The ALI drafts, approves, and publishes Restatements of the Law, Principles of the Law, model codes, and other proposals for law...
and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a foreign-policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. The organization describes itself as being dedicated to advancing cooperation between nations and promoting active international engagement by the United States...
.
Judge Ruiz is married to David E. Birenbaum, a retired partner of Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson and former US Ambassador to the UN for Management and Reform. They have three grandkids, Zoe, Gabby, and Aidan.