Appointed By: Pres. Barack H. Obama, II
The Hon. Benita Y. Pearson is a judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. She was nominated to the bench by former President Barack Obama on December 3, 2009, filling a seat vacated by the Hon. Peter C. Economus. Her nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 21, 2010.
Prior to her appointment, Pearson was a magistrate on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, a position to which she was named in 2008. Before that, she spent eight years as an assistant United States attorney for the Northern District of Ohio (2000 to 2008).
Pearson earned a B.S. in accounting from Georgetown University in 1985. A certified public accountant, she pursued a career with BP America, working as a corporate accountant (1985 to 1987), a supervisor of retail marketing accounting (1987 to 1990), and a retail sales executive (1990 to 1992) before completing a J.D. at Cleveland State University College of Law in 1995.
She is licensed to practice in Ohio (1995).
After graduating from law school, Pearson began her legal career as an attorney in private practice in Cleveland. She worked in that capacity until 1996, at which time she became a judicial law clerk to the Hon. John Manos of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Then, in 1998, she returned to private practice as an associate at Jones Day Reavis & Pogue.
Her memberships have included the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and the Nathaniel R. Jones American Inn of Court. She has also been involved with the Eliza Bryant Village, and she has taught animal law, advanced brief writing, and oral advocacy at Cleveland State University College of Law.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Pearson attended Hathaway Brown School. She holds the distinction of being the first African American woman to serve as an Article III judge in the State of Ohio.
| Current Appointment U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio |
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Education
J.D., Cleveland State University College of Law - 1995 B.S., Georgetown University - 1985 |
J.D., Cleveland State University College of Law - 1995 B.S., Georgetown University - 1985 |
| Official Website www.ohnd.uscourts.gov | www.ohnd.uscourts.gov |
| Current Court: | OH - U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio |
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| Clerk phone: | +1 (330) 884-7435 |
| Fax: | +1 (330) 884-7450 |
| Role | Employer | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Attorney | Private Practice | Cuyahoga County, Ohio |
| Judicial Law Clerk | United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio | None |
| Assistant United States Attorney | Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio | None |
| Magistrate | United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio | None |
| Associate | Jones Day Reavis & Pogue | Cuyahoga County, Ohio |
| Judge | United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio | Mahoning County, Ohio |
Martindale: Judge Profile: Benita Yalonda Pearson
Wikipedia: Benita Y. Pearson
Connections: You, Your Courts, Your Democracy: Judge Benita Y. Pearson
The American Law Institute: The Hon. Benita Y. Pearson
Federal Bar Association: Hon. Benita Y. Pearson
Practical Law: View from the Bench
Federal Judicial Center: Pearson, Benita Yalonda
The Presidential Prayer Team: Judge Benita Pearson, Northern Ohio U.S. District Court
ALM: Meet the Judge Tasked with Overseeing the Ohio Derailment Lawsuits: Benita Pearson
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