Sandra L. Townes
Sandra Lynn Townes (September 29, 1944[1] – February 8, 2018) was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Sandra Lynn Townes | |
|---|---|
| Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York | |
| In office May 1, 2015 – February 8, 2018 | |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York | |
| In office August 2, 2004 – May 1, 2015 | |
| Appointed by | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Sterling Johnson, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Ann Donnelly |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 29, 1944 Spartanburg, South Carolina |
| Died | February 8, 2018 (aged 73) Manhattan, New York |
| Education | Johnson C. Smith University (BA) Syracuse University College of Law (JD) |
Early life and education
Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the Honorable Sandra L. Townes graduated from Johnson C. Smith University with her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1966 and later from Syracuse University College of Law with a Juris Doctor in 1976.
Legal career
Following law school graduation, Townes worked with the Onondaga County, New York, District Attorney's Office as Assistant District Attorney (1977–83).
She was promoted to Senior Assistant District Attorney (1983–86) and became Chief ADA (1986–87). Townes was elected to a City Court Judge seat for the City Court of Syracuse, New York (1988–99). In 1999, Townes was elected as Justice of the Fifth Judicial District New York Supreme Court (2000–04).
She was selected by the New York State Governor, George Pataki, to the judicial post of Appellate Division Associate justice handling appeals for the 2nd Judicial Department of the New York State Supreme Court (2001–04). During this time, Townes was an Adjunct professor at Syracuse University College of Law (1987–95) and at Onondaga Community College (1992 to 2001).
Federal judicial service
Townes was nominated to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York by President George W. Bush on August 1, 2003 to a seat vacated when the Honorable Sterling Johnson, Jr. took senior status. Townes was confirmed by the Senate on June 3, 2004 on a Senate vote and received her commission on August 2, 2004. She assumed senior status on May 1, 2015, serving in that status until her death of lung cancer at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, New York on February 8, 2018.[2]
References
Sources
- Sandra L. Townes at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sterling Johnson, Jr. |
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York 2004–2015 |
Succeeded by Ann Donnelly |