SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE APPROVES NOMINATION OF WILLIAM KAYATTA TO SERVE ON U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Senate Judiciary Committee today approved the nomination of William Kayatta Jr. to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Senator Susan Collins had the pleasure of introducing Mr. Kayatta at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his nomination last month.
"Bill is an attorney of exceptional intelligence, extensive experience, and demonstrated integrity, who is very highly respected in the Maine legal community," said Senator Collins. "Bill's impressive background makes him eminently qualified for a seat on the First Circuit. His thirty plus years of real world litigation experience would bring a much-needed perspective to the court.
"Maine has a long proud history of supplying superb jurists to the federal bench. I know that, if confirmed, Mr. Kayatta will continue in that tradition. I urge the full Senate to approve his nomination as soon as possible," Senator Collins continued.
A resident of Cape Elizabeth, Mr. Kayatta graduated magna cum laude from both Amherst College and Harvard University, where he served as a member of the school's law review. After he graduated from law school, he clerked for the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, Frank Coffin.
In 1980, he joined the firm of Pierce Atwood in Portland, Maine, where over the subsequent 32 years he has specialized in complex civil litigation at both the trial and appellate levels.
He has served as Chairman of both the Maine Professional Ethics Commission and the Maine Board of Bar Examiners, and as President of the Maine Bar Association.
In 2002, Mr. Kayatta was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers, and in 2010 he was elected by his peers to the College's Board of Regents.
He has simultaneously maintained a very substantial pro bono practice. In 2010, he received the Maine Bar Foundation's Howard H. Dana Award for career-long pro bono service on behalf of low-income Mainers.
In 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court appointed him a Special Master in Kansas v. Nebraska and Colorado, an original water rights case - an indicator of the Court's confidence in his legal abilities.
Finally, Mr. Kayatta has earned the American Bar Association's highest rating - "unanimously well-qualified" -- reflecting the ABA's assessment of his credentials, experience, and temperament.
His nomination will now proceed to the Senate floor for a final vote. A date for this vote has not yet been set.
"Bill is an attorney of exceptional intelligence, extensive experience, and demonstrated integrity, who is very highly respected in the Maine legal community," said Senator Collins. "Bill's impressive background makes him eminently qualified for a seat on the First Circuit. His thirty plus years of real world litigation experience would bring a much-needed perspective to the court.
"Maine has a long proud history of supplying superb jurists to the federal bench. I know that, if confirmed, Mr. Kayatta will continue in that tradition. I urge the full Senate to approve his nomination as soon as possible," Senator Collins continued.
A resident of Cape Elizabeth, Mr. Kayatta graduated magna cum laude from both Amherst College and Harvard University, where he served as a member of the school's law review. After he graduated from law school, he clerked for the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, Frank Coffin.
In 1980, he joined the firm of Pierce Atwood in Portland, Maine, where over the subsequent 32 years he has specialized in complex civil litigation at both the trial and appellate levels.
He has served as Chairman of both the Maine Professional Ethics Commission and the Maine Board of Bar Examiners, and as President of the Maine Bar Association.
In 2002, Mr. Kayatta was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers, and in 2010 he was elected by his peers to the College's Board of Regents.
He has simultaneously maintained a very substantial pro bono practice. In 2010, he received the Maine Bar Foundation's Howard H. Dana Award for career-long pro bono service on behalf of low-income Mainers.
In 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court appointed him a Special Master in Kansas v. Nebraska and Colorado, an original water rights case - an indicator of the Court's confidence in his legal abilities.
Finally, Mr. Kayatta has earned the American Bar Association's highest rating - "unanimously well-qualified" -- reflecting the ABA's assessment of his credentials, experience, and temperament.
His nomination will now proceed to the Senate floor for a final vote. A date for this vote has not yet been set.
