Politics & Government
Yale Law School Grad Named To US District Court Bench By Pres. Biden
Sarah French Russell, sworn as U.S. District Judge for Connecticut on Dec. 20, also lectured and taught at Yale and Quinnipiac law schools.
NEW HAVEN, CT —On Nov. 19, the U.S. Senate confirmed Sarah French Russell, she received her commission from Pres. Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on Nov. 26 and then, was sworn in as a U.S. District Judge for the District of Connecticut on Dec. 20.
Judge Russell earned her B.A. from Yale University in 1998 and her J.D. from Yale Law School in 2002.
Following law school, she clerked for Chief Judge Michael B. Mukasey of the Southern District of New York and Circuit Judge Chester J. Straub of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
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After clerking, Judge Russell served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the District of Connecticut from 2005-2007, before serving as lecturer in law and Director of the Arthur Liman Public Interest Program at Yale Law School, where she also taught in several of Yale’s legal clinics.
She taught at Quinnipiac University School of Law from 2011 until her appointment to the federal bench, serving as professor of law and Director of the Legal Clinic.
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Judge Russell previously served as counsel to the Federal Grievance Committee for the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, and as a member of the Connecticut Sentencing Commission and the Connecticut Committee on Judicial Ethics.
"We look forward to welcoming Sarah Russell as our colleague and are confident she will have a distinguished career on the bench," Chief Judge Michael P. Shea said.
Complimenting her intellect and work ethic, he said her "commitment to serving the people of Connecticut through her experience as a litigator, her legal scholarship, and as a tireless advocate for the vulnerable, will serve her well in her role on the federal bench.”
Judge Russell’s chambers are located in the Brien McMahon Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Bridgeport.
She fills the vacancy created by Judge Sarah Ann Leilani Merriam’s elevation to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in September 2022.
The District of Connecticut has eight authorized judgeships.
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