THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

PRESIDENT NOMINATES SIDNEY THOMAS TO APPEALS COURT

The President today nominated Sidney R. Thomas to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Thomas, 41, is a partner and shareholder with the Billings, Montana law firm of Moulton, Bellingham, Longo & Mather, P.C. At the Moulton firm, Thomas has maintained a diverse civil litigation practice in both state and federal courts with specialties in government, bankruptcy and media law. In addition to his law practice, Thomas has served since 1982 as an adjunct instructor in law at Rocky Mountain College. He also served from 1978 to 1981 as the standing bankruptcy trustee for all bankruptcy cases filed in the Billings Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana.

A native of Bozeman, Thomas earned his B.A. degree from Montana State University and his J.D. degree, with honors, from the University of Montana Law School. Thomas has long been active in local civil and legal activities. While in law school, Thomas served as a member of the Montana Board of Regents of Higher Education and the Montana Commission on Federal Higher Education Programs. He currently sits on several boards of directors, including those of the Saint Vincent Hospital and Health Center, a non-profit charity which operates Montana's largest hospital; Billings-Eaglemont, which provides recreational programs for physically and mentally challenged individuals; Alberta Bair Theater, a performing arts center; and Friends of KEMC/KBMC, which provides assistance to Montana's largest public radio station.

Thomas and his wife, Martha Sheehy, also an attorney, reside in Billings. Upon confirmation, Thomas would become one of 28 judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which hears cases from Alaska, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, and Washington.

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