WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has nominated a member of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Western Pennsylvania to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
On Tuesday, Obama announced his nomination of McKeesport native Rebecca Ross Haywood, 47, as a candidate to fill a vacancy on the Third Circuit Court. The post opened when Judge Marjorie O. Rendell accepted senior status last July.
“Throughout her career, Rebecca Ross Haywood has shown unwavering integrity and an outstanding commitment to public service,” Obama said. “I am proud to nominate her to serve on the United States Court of Appeals.”
An Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Haywood has served as the Chief of its Appellate Division since 2010. Haywood oversees filings in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and has often practiced law before the Third Circuit Court.
U.S. Senator Bob Casey, D-Pa., also shared his thoughts on Haywood’s nomination to the Court.
“Rebecca Haywood is an excellent nominee for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and I’m pleased that President Obama will submit her name to the Senate for consideration. Rebecca Haywood’s career has been rooted in public service,” Casey said.
“Since 2003, she’s worked in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Pennsylvania and has established a reputation for integrity and legal excellence. During her time in the Appellate Division, she’s dealt extensively with both criminal and civil matters. Since 2010, she’s served as Chief of the Appellate Division, where she oversees of all the Western District’s appellate work and makes arguments on behalf of the government’s position in front of Circuit Courts. She’s fought to protect children. She’s a highly qualified candidate for a seat on the Circuit Court of Appeals and deserves to be given fair consideration."
Born in McKeesport, Haywood was raised in Elizabeth and earned a bachelor’s degree with honors from Princeton University in 1990. Haywood then attended the University of Michigan Law School, where she served as an Associate Editor on the Michigan Law Review and in 1994, earned her J.D. with magna cum laude honors.
Subsequent to her graduation from law school, Haywood clerked for Judge Alan N. Bloch of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania from 1994 to 1996, and from 1996 to 1997, worked in the Pittsburgh office of the law firm now known as Jones Day.
Haywood served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania from 1997 to 2001, working on civil litigation and representing various federal agencies in both employment and medical malpractice cases.
Haywood again clerked for Bloch from 2001 to 2003, before returning to the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Haywood was later promoted to her current post as Appellate Chief in 2010.
Haywood’s tenure in the United States Attorney’s Office has also included serving on its executive and training committees since 2011, and as a coordinator for prevention of workplace harassment from 2004 to 2010.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit hears appeals of federal lawsuits from the states of Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey, plus the U.S. Virgin Islands.
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nickpennrecord@gmail.com