Washington, D.C. - Following the announcement that President Obama has nominated Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which includes parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) released the following statements:
“Judge Restrepo is an excellent choice for the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals,” Sen. Casey said. “Judge Restrepo has had a distinguished legal career as an attorney in private practice, a federal magistrate and now as a District Court judge in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He drew broad bipartisan support during his confirmation to the Eastern District Court and I’m hopeful that he’ll move quickly through the Senate and be confirmed on a bipartisan basis once again.”
“I am pleased that President Obama today has nominated Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo to serve our nation on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals,” said Sen. Toomey. “As both a federal magistrate and district judge, Judge Restrepo has served the people of Pennsylvania honorably and with distinction. He also is dedicated to his community by giving his free time to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Sen. Casey and I recommended Judge Restrepo to the White House for a seat on the federal district court, and I believe that he will also make a superb addition to the Third Circuit based in Philadelphia.”
In the last three and a half years, Senators Casey and Toomey have worked together, in a bipartisan fashion, to help confirm jurists of high ability and integrity to preside in the federal courts of Pennsylvania. In that time, the Senate has confirmed 10 Pennsylvania district court judges and one circuit court judge.
Luis Felipe Restrepo
Luis Felipe Restrepo has served as a federal judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania since June 2013 and previously served as a magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Prior to his time on the bench, he worked as a partner at Kreasner & Restrepo in Philadelphia, focusing on criminal defense and civil rights legislation.
Restrepo served as an assistant federal defender for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from 1990 to 1993, and an assistant defender at the Defender Association of Philadelphia from 1987 to 1990. He is a past president of the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania.
A native of Colombia, Restrepo became a U.S. citizen in 1993. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1981 and a Juris Doctor from Tulane University Law School in 1986. He lives in Swarthmore.
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