THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

PRESIDENT NOMINATES THREE TO FEDERAL DISTRICT BENCH

The President today nominated three individuals to serve on the U.S. District Court: Patrick Michael Duffy for the District of South Carolina, Sue Ellen Myerscough for the Central District of Illinois, and Jed S. Rakoff for the Southern District of New York.

Patrick Michael Duffy, 52, is a shareholder in the McNair Law Firm, where he specializes in civil litigation. Previously, he was a partner in the law firm of Morris, Duffy & Boone and was the Assistant County Attorney for Charleston County. Duffy also served on active duty in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1971. He received his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law and his B.A. from the Citadel. Duffy and his wife, Katherine, have three children and live in Charleston.

Sue Ellen Myerscough, 43, has served since 1990 as a Circuit Judge on the Seventh Judicial Circuit for the State of Illinois in Springfield. Previously, she served as an Associate Judge on the same Circuit, practiced law for six years in Springfield and was a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Harold Baker of the Central District of Illinois. Myerscough earned her B.A. and J.D. degrees from Southern Illinois University. She and her husband, Livingstone Mueller, have two children and reside in Springfield.

Jed S. Rakoff, 52, is a litigation partner with the New York City law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, where he has practiced since 1990. Previously, he was a partner with Mudge, Rose, Guthrie, Alexander & Ferdon, an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and an associate with Debevoise, Plimpton, Lyons & Gates. Rakoff was also a law clerk to Judge Abraham Freedman on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Rakoff earned his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School, his M.A. degree from Balliol College, and his B.A. degree from Swarthmore College. He and his wife, Ann, have three children and live in Larchmont.

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