President Barack Obama this week forwarded to the Senate the name of University of North Dakota alum Rosanna M. Peterson as his nominee to serve on the District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.
 
Peterson was among more than two dozen applicants for the lifetime position last November, and the only woman among the three finalists. The American Bar Association, which rates judicial appointment candidates, unanimously found Peterson "qualified."
 
"I am honored to nominate Rosanna Peterson to the United States District Court bench," said President Obama. "Throughout her career, she has displayed exceptional integrity and an unwavering commitment to justice. She will be a distinguished addition to the federal bench for the Eastern District of Washington and I am grateful for her willingness to serve."
 
Peterson earned her undergraduate degree in English in 1977; her Master of Arts degreein English in 1983, her juris doctor (law) degree in 1991, all from UND.
 
President Obama’s choice of Peterson for the federal bench was enthusiastically received at UND.
 
“We are so proud to have one of our graduates nominated for a federal judicial appointment, one of the most prestigious positions in the legal profession,” said Kathryn Rand, dean of the UND School of Law. “Professor Peterson's nomination is a testament to the quality of the education we provide at UND.”
 
Rand said that Peterson—once her appointment is ratified by the Senate—joins a select group of UND School of Law alumni who have been appointed to the federal bench over the years, including Kermit Bye of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit; and Daniel Hovland, Ralph Erickson, and the late Rodney Webb of the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota.
 
Peterson, a professor at Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane,  Wash., would become the first female judge on Eastern Washington’s U.S. District Court bench. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., called the nomination of a woman to the federal bench in the state of Washington "historic."
 
A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, Peterson has served as president of the Federal Bar Association for Eastern Washington and the Woman Lawyers State Bar Association.
 
Following graduation from law school, Peterson clerked for the Honorable Fred Van Sickle in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. After her clerkship, Peterson practiced general litigation, employment and education law, as well as criminal defense at several private law firms in Spokane.
 
In 1999, Peterson joined the faculty of Gonzaga University School of Law, where she teaches evidence, federal jurisdiction, and trial advocacy. She became the director of the School of Law’s Externship Program in 2002.
 
Useful link: www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-Nominates-Rosanna-M-Peterson-to-Serve-on-the-District-Court-Bench/
 
Contacts
Kathryn Rand, professor and dean
UND School of Law
(701) 777-2255
rand@law.und.edu
 
Juan Pedraza
Office of University Relations
University of North Dakota
(701) 777-6571 (office) (701) 740-1321 (cell)
juanpedraza@mail.und.edu