Gershwin Drain
- ️Thu Nov 17 2011
From Ballotpedia
Gershwin Drain
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (senior status)
Tenure
2022 - Present
Years in position
2
Prior offices
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Education
Personal
Gershwin Drain is a federal judge on senior status with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He joined the Eastern District of Michigan in 2012 after a nomination from Barack Obama (D). Drain assumed senior status on August 13, 2022.[1] Before joining the court, he was a judge on the 3rd Circuit Court in Wayne County, Michigan. He was appointed to this position by Gov. Blanchard in 1997.[2][3][4][5]
Biography
Early life and education
Drain received his B.A. degree from Western Michigan University in 1970 and his J.D. degree from the University of Michigan 1972.[2]
Professional career
Drain worked as a trial attorney for the Federal Defender's Office and then became a judge of the 36th District Court. He served on that court until he was appointed to the circuit court in 1997.[2]
Federal judiciary nomination
| Nomination Tracker |
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| Nominee Information |
| Name: Gershwin Drain |
| Court: Eastern District of Michigan |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 259 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: 11/17/2011
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| ABA Rating: Unanimously Qualified
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| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: 2/29/2012
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| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
 Reported:
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| Confirmed: 8/2/2012
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On November 17, 2011, President Barack Obama nominated Gershwin Drain to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan to fill the seat vacated by Bernard Friedman.[5] Obama commented on the nomination, stating, "Judge Gershwin A. Drain will bring an unwavering commitment to fairness and judicial integrity to the federal bench. His impressive legal career is a testament to the kind of thoughtful and diligent judge he will be on the U.S. District Court. I am honored to nominate him today."[6]
He was rated Unanimously Qualified by the ABA. He had a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 29, 2012 and you can find his Committee Questionnaire available here and his Questions for the Record available here.[7]
On August 2, 2012, Gershwin Drain was confirmed to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan after a vote of 55-41.[8][9]
Elections
2010
- Main article: Michigan judicial elections, 2010
Drain was re-elected to the 3rd Circuit Court in the general election on November 2, 2010, along with 18 other judges.[3]
Awards and associations
Drain is a part of the Michigan Judges Association, the Wolverine Bar Association, Association of Black Judges of Michigan, the Michigan Bar Association, a Prison Ministry for the Mound Correctional Facility, and is a lifetime member of the NAACP.
Previously, Drain was a member of the Criminal Jury Instruction Committee, a Law Day speaker for the Criminal Law Section, the Prisons & Corrections Committee, Detroit/Wayne County Criminal Advocacy Board of Directors Instructor, and the Michigan Task Force and National Board of Directors.[2]
Recognition
Drain has been a columnist for Michigan Chronicle, and was named the WWJ (950 AM) Citizen of the Week, December 27th, 1997 and Michiganian of the Year by the Detroit News in 1997.[2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Courts, "Future Judicial Vacancies," accessed August 5, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Judge Drain bio from Detroit Metro Bar Association (dead link)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Michigan 2010 Unofficial General Election Results: 3rd Circuit Court
- ↑ List of Michigan Circuit Courts
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate," November 17, 2011
- ↑ "President Obama Nominates Judge Gershwin A. Drain to Serve on the US District Court" November 17, 2011
- ↑ 112th Congress Nomination Materials
- ↑ Report on the Activities of the Senate Judiciary Committee, 112th Congress
- ↑ United States Periodic Press Gallery
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