Professor Debra Livingston nominated for the 2nd Circuit

Debra A. Livingston, Vice Dean and Paul J. Kellner Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, has been nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. 

Livingston is co-author of "Comprehensive Criminal Procedure," a leading casebook on criminal procedure and has done pioneering work on community policing.  She has written and lectured about domestic surveillance, and the delicate balance between national security issues and individual rights.

From 1986 to 1991 Livingston was Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where she prosecuted public corruption cases and served as deputy chief of appeals.  From 1994 to 2003 she served as a commissioner of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, overseeing complaints about police brutality.  Earlier, she served as Legal Consultant to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Bangkok (1982-83).  She was an associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison from 1985-86 and from 1991-92.

Livingston joined the faculty of Columbia Law School in 1994.  As the Paul J. Kellner Professor of Law at Columbia, she teaches criminal procedure and evidence, as well as seminars on national security and terrorism.  Livingston co-directs the Law School's Center on Crime, Community and Law.   She has served as Vice Dean of the Law School and Chair of the Appointments Committee.  Livingston received her undergraduate degree from Princeton and her J. D. from Harvard Law School.  After graduation, she clerked for the Honorable J. Edward Lumbard, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.  Livingston began her academic career in 1992 at the University of Michigan Law School. 

"I'm delighted she has been nominated," says Columbia Law School Dean, David Schizer.  "She is an extraordinarily skilled lawyer and wise leader in our community.  If confirmed, Livingston will bring a rare combination of wisdom, judgment and expert lawyering to the bench.  She will be a fabulous asset to the judiciary.  At Columbia, we're delighted by her nomination."