J. Michelle Childs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
J. Michelle Childs
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| Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit | |
| Assumed office July 25, 2022 |
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| Appointed by | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | David S. Tatel |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina | |
| In office August 20, 2010 – August 2, 2022 |
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| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | G. Ross Anderson |
| Succeeded by | Jacquelyn D. Austin |
| Judge of the South Carolina Circuit Court, 5th Circuit | |
| In office 2006–2010 |
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| Appointed by | South Carolina General Assembly |
| Preceded by | Reggie Lloyd |
| Succeeded by | Stephanie P. McDonald |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Julianna Michelle Childs
March 24, 1966 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Spouse | Floyd Angus |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | University of South Florida (BA) University of South Carolina (MA, JD) Duke University (LLM) |
Julianna Michelle Childs (born March 24, 1966) is an American lawyer and judge. She serves as a United States circuit judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Before this, she was a United States district judge in South Carolina from 2010 to 2022. She also served as a judge for the South Carolina Circuit Court from 2006 to 2010.
In 2022, President Joe Biden considered Judge Childs for a seat on the Supreme Court of the United States. However, he later nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson for that position.
Contents
Her Early Life and School Days
J. Michelle Childs was born in 1966 in Detroit, Michigan. Her parents separated when she was young. Her father, Ralph "Pete" Childs, was a champion ping pong player. He won the U.S. Junior Championship in 1964. He later became a police officer in Detroit.
Her mother, Shandra Green, worked as a manager for a phone company. When Michelle was 14, her mother decided to move to Columbia, South Carolina. Michelle attended Columbia High School. She graduated in 1984 as class president and the top student, known as the valedictorian. She also participated in youth beauty pageants and won the Miss Black Florida pageant in 1986.
Childs became interested in law after joining mock trial programs. She first did this in high school and then at the University of South Florida. She attended college on a scholarship. She is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. In 1988, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in management from the University of South Florida.
She then went to the University of South Carolina School of Law. She wanted to practice law in her home state. She earned her law degree, a Juris Doctor, in 1991. She also received a Master of Arts degree in personnel and employment relations from the University of South Carolina in 1991. Later, in 2016, she earned another advanced law degree, a Master of Laws, from Duke University School of Law.
Starting Her Career in Law
In 1991, Childs began her career as a law clerk at a firm called Nexsen Pruet. This firm helped employers with labor law issues. From 1992 to 1999, she worked as an associate attorney there. In 2000, she became a law firm partner at Nexsen Pruet. She was the first Black woman to become a partner at a major law firm in South Carolina. During her time at the firm, she became known as an expert in employment law and labor law.
After working at Nexsen Pruet, Childs spent six years working for the state government. From 2000 to 2002, she was a deputy director in the South Carolina Department of Labor. This was during the time South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges was in office. From 2002 to 2006, she served as a commissioner on the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission.
Becoming a Judge
Serving as a State Judge
In 2006, the South Carolina General Assembly elected her to be a Circuit Court Judge for Richland County. Her court was located in Columbia. As a state judge, she led a special program for business cases. She also became the chief judge for General Sessions, which is South Carolina's Criminal Court.
Serving as a Federal District Judge
On December 22, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Judge Childs to serve on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. She was to fill a seat that became open when Judge G. Ross Anderson retired. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on her nomination in April 2010. In May 2010, the committee approved her nomination. The United States Senate confirmed her nomination on August 5, 2010. She officially started her work as a district judge on August 20, 2010. She served in this role until August 2, 2022, when she moved to a higher court.
In 2011, Judge Childs was chosen to be part of the American Law Institute. She helped create an important legal guide called the Restatement Third, Employment Law. This guide was published in 2015. She also helped find and suggest new members for the Institute in several states. In 2020, Judge Childs was elected to lead the judicial division of the American Bar Association. In February 2021, U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn suggested her as a possible nominee for the Supreme Court of the United States under the Biden administration.
Important Cases She Handled
In November 2014, Judge Childs made a ruling that allowed two women to have their marriage recognized in South Carolina. They had been married in Washington, D.C. She found that South Carolina's refusal to recognize their marriage was against the law.
In September 2020, Judge Childs issued a preliminary injunction. This order temporarily stopped South Carolina's rule that required a witness for absentee ballots. A higher court first blocked her order, but then the full appeals court brought it back. However, the U.S. Supreme Court later overturned the injunction.
Judge Childs also made two decisions about nuclear power facilities in South Carolina. In August 2018, she did not stop a state law that made a utility company lower its customers' rates. This happened after problems with building two new nuclear reactors in Fairfield County. In December 2021, she also did not block a rule that required workers at a South Carolina nuclear facility to get vaccinated. She ruled that the company did not have to keep employing someone who refused to get vaccinated.
Considered for the Supreme Court
On January 28, 2022, the White House announced that Judge Childs was being considered for a seat on the Supreme Court of the United States. This seat became open after Justice Stephen Breyer retired. Two days later, Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina publicly supported her possible nomination. Her rise to being considered for the Supreme Court was also helped by Jim Clyburn, a leader in the House of Representatives. He had been asking President Biden to nominate her.
On February 22, 2022, President Biden chose Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill Justice Breyer's seat instead.
Her Role in the Court of Appeals
In January 2021, U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn wrote a letter to President Biden's team. He encouraged Biden to nominate Judge Childs to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. On December 23, 2021, Biden announced her as his nominee for that court. Her nomination was sent to the Senate on January 10, 2022. She was nominated to take the seat of Judge David S. Tatel, who planned to retire once a replacement was confirmed.
A hearing on her nomination was held on April 27, 2022. On May 26, 2022, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved her nomination by a vote of 17 to 5. On July 14, 2022, the Senate voted to move forward with her nomination. On July 19, 2022, her nomination was confirmed by a vote of 64 to 34. She officially received her judicial commission on July 25, 2022.
Personal Life
Judge Childs is married to Floyd Angus, who is a doctor specializing in digestive health. They have one daughter. She is a Roman Catholic. She also serves as a trustee on the board of St. Martin de Porres Catholic School in Columbia.
See also
- Joe Biden Supreme Court candidates
- List of African American federal judges
- List of African American jurists
