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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release July 28, 1994

PRESIDENT CLINTON NOMINATES THREE FEDERAL JUDGES

The President today announced the nomination of Diana E. Murphy to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. The President also named the following two individuals to serve on the federal district bench: Dominic J. Squatrito for the District of Connecticut and Shira A. Scheindlin for the Southern District of New York.

"These nominees have demonstrated outstanding legal ability and a commitment to justice for all," the President said. "I am sure they will be of great service to our Nation's courts."

Diana E. Murphy, 60, currently serves as Chief Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Ms. Murphy began her legal career as an associate with the Minneapolis law firm of Lindquist & Vennum. From 1976 to 1978, she served as Hennepin County Municipal Judge and from 1978 to 1980, she served as a Judge for the Minnesota District Court.

In 1980, President Carter appointed Diana Murphy to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. She has been Chief Judge since 1992. She is past president of the Federal Judges Association and past chair of the board of the American Judicature Society. She currently serves on the boards of the Federal Judicial Center and the Federal Judges Association.

Ms. Murphy earned a B.A. degree from the University of Minnesota. She also studied at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany on a Fulbright Scholarship and pursued graduate studies in history at the University of Minnesota. Murphy received a J.D. degree from the University of Minnesota Law School. Murphy and her husband, Joseph E. Murphy, Jr., have two sons and live in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Upon confirmation, she would become the first woman to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. The Eighth Circuit has 11 judgeships and hears cases from Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Dominic J. Squatrito, 55, has practiced law with the Manchester, Connecticut firm of Phelon, Squatrito, Fitzgerald, Dyer & Wood since 1966. He is a former President of the Manchester Bar Association and a former Chief Counsel for the Connecticut State Senate. Mr. Squatrito received a B.A. degree from Wesleyan College and a J.D. degree from Yale Law School. He and his wife, Carla Squatrito, have two children.

Shira A. Scheindlin, 47, is a partner with the Manhattan law firm of Herzfeld & Rubin. Prior to joining that firm, she was a partner with the firm of Budd Larner Gross Rosenbaum Greenberg & Sade. Previously, Ms. Scheindlin served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. She received a B.A. degree from the University of Michigan, an M.A. degree from Columbia University, and a J.D. degree from Cornell Law School.

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