Rochester attorney Colleen Holland nominated for federal judgeship
Local lawyer Colleen Holland, now a legal clerk in federal court, has been nominated to fill an open federal judgeship based in Rochester.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-NY, announced Wednesday that he recommended Holland as a federal court nominee to President Joseph Biden. Biden on Wednesday nominated Holland, 39, for the federal bench.
Holland currently serves as special counsel to Chief Judge Elizabeth Wolford and has been with the court as a law clerk since 2017. A Rochester native, Holland previously worked as a litigation associate at several firms in Rochester, including Nixon Peabody LLP, LeClairRyan, P.C. and Boylan Code LLP.
Holland is a 2006 graduate of the University of Rochester and a 2010 graduate of Cornell Law School, where she graduated first in her class.
"Colleen Holland, a true public servant and Rochester native, has already dedicated years of her career to the (Western New York) District Court — allowing her to gain vast expertise on the most important legal issues in Western New York while developing a rare and deep institutional knowledge of the Court that would make her transition to the bench seamless," Schumer said in a statement Wednesday.
Wolford, also recommended by Schumer, was the first woman to become a federal district judge in western New York and the first to become chief judge for the district.
In a news release, Schumer said he has focused on elevating women to federal judgeships. Of 140 Biden nominees for the judgeships, 94 have been women.
"Currently, there are four active women judges in the Upstate U.S. District Courts, and Ms. Holland’s confirmation would make her the fifth out of the nine active federal district court judges in Upstate NY," according to the news release from Schumer's office.
Holland is married with two children.
The Rochester-based opening was created when U.S. District Judge Frank Geraci Jr. assumed senior status, a form of semi-retirement. Federal judges have lifelong appointments.
— Gary Craig is a veteran reporter with the Democrat and Chronicle, covering courts and crime and more. You can reach Craig at gcraig@rocheste.gannett.com. He is the author of two books, including "Seven Million: A Cop, a Priest, a Soldier for the IRA, and the Still-Unsolved Rochester Brink's Heist."
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Colleen Holland nominated for federal judgeship in Rochester NY
