Jamal Whitehead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jamal Whitehead
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| Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington | |
| Assumed office March 14, 2023 |
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| Appointed by | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Richard A. Jones |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jamal Norman Whitehead
1979 (age 45–46) Turnersville, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Education | University of Washington (BA) Seattle University (JD) |
Jamal Norman Whitehead, born in 1979, is an American lawyer. He currently serves as a United States district judge for the Western District of Washington. This means he is a judge in a special federal court in the state of Washington.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Growing Up and School
Jamal Whitehead was born in Turnersville, New Jersey. He went to the University of Washington and earned a degree in political science in 2004. Later, he studied law at Seattle University School of Law, getting his law degree in 2007.
Jamal Whitehead's Career
Working as a Lawyer
After finishing law school, Jamal Whitehead worked as an attorney at a law firm called Garvey Schubert Barer in Seattle from 2007 to 2010.
From 2010 to 2014, he worked for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in Seattle. The EEOC is a government agency that makes sure people are treated fairly at work and not discriminated against.
Then, from 2014 to 2016, he was an Assistant United States Attorney. This means he was a lawyer who worked for the U.S. government, representing them in court cases.
From 2016 to 2023, he was a partner at another law firm, Schroeter Goldmark & Bender, in Seattle. He was also the past president of the Loren Miller Bar Association, which is a group for minority lawyers in Washington.
Important Cases He Worked On
Jamal Whitehead has worked on some important legal cases:
- In 2018, he helped a car dealership employee who had a disability. The employee was fired after he started using a special voice box to speak. Whitehead took the case to court, and a jury decided that his client should receive $5 million. The car dealership tried to appeal, but Whitehead won the case again in a higher court.
- In 2021, he represented people who were held in a private prison. These people were paid only $1 a day for their work, even though the state of Washington requires a minimum wage. After a three-week trial, a jury decided that the company had to pay the workers $17.3 million in back wages.
Becoming a Federal Judge
Nomination and Confirmation
On July 13, 2022, President Joe Biden chose Jamal Whitehead to become a United States district judge. He was nominated to fill a position that Judge Richard A. Jones had left.
The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing about his nomination on September 21, 2022. This committee reviews people chosen for judge positions. His nomination was approved by the committee in December 2022 and again in February 2023.
On February 28, 2023, the Senate voted to confirm him as a judge. He officially became a judge on March 14, 2023, and was sworn in on April 4, 2023.
Notable Decisions as a Judge
As a judge, Jamal Whitehead has also made important decisions. For example, on February 25, 2025, he issued a preliminary injunction. This is a temporary court order that stops something from happening. In this case, he stopped a government order that would have completely paused the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
He explained that while the President has power over refugee admissions, setting the goal to zero went too far. He ruled that this order broke two important laws: the Refugee Act of 1980 and the Administrative Procedure Act. These laws set rules for how refugees are admitted and how government agencies must get public feedback on new rules.
Personal Life
Senator Patty Murray mentioned that Jamal Whitehead was the first person chosen by President Joe Biden for a judge position who has a physical disability. He uses a prosthetic leg.
See also
