Senators Brown and Portman Recommended Hopkins to President Biden 

Production Quality Video of Sen. Brown’s Remarks HERE  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced Jeffery P. Hopkins at his U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing to serve as a U.S. Federal District Court Judge for the Southern District of Ohio. Hopkins is filling a vacancy left when Judge Timothy S. Black took senior status in May. The Southern District has court locations in Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton and serves more than five million Ohioans in 48 counties. Brown and U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) recommended Judge Hopkins to the President for nomination.

“Judge Hopkins’ career is marked by the legal acumen and the commitment to community that we expect to see from nominees to the federal bench,” said Brown. “It’s why Senator Rob Portman and I both recommended Judge Hopkins to President Biden to serve our state. When confirmed, Judge Hopkins will be the first African American federal district judge ever appointed in Cincinnati, a reminder of this administration’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and legal excellence.”

Jeffery P. Hopkins is currently the chief bankruptcy judge on the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio, where he has served since 1996. He was previously an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio from 1990 to 1996. Hopkins was also an associate at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP (now Squire Patton Boggs LLP) from 1987 to 1990. He served as a law clerk for Judge Alan Norris on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 1986 to 1987 and on the Ohio Court of Appeals from 1985 to 1986. Hopkins received his J.D. from The Ohio State University in 1985 and his B.A. from Bowdoin College in 1982.

Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are available below:

Thank you, Chair Durbin, Ranking Member Grassley, and Members of the Judiciary Committee.

It is my honor to introduce the Honorable Jeffery P. Hopkins, a highly qualified nominee to serve as a federal district court judge in the Southern District of Ohio.

Judge Hopkins’ career is marked by the legal acumen and the commitment to community that we expect to see from nominees to the federal bench.

It’s why Senator Rob Portman and I both recommended Judge Hopkins to President Biden to serve our state. When confirmed, Judge Hopkins will be the first African American federal district judge ever appointed in Cincinnati, a reminder of this Administration’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and legal excellence.

Judge Jeffery Hopkins’ legal career began as a clerk for Judge Alan E. Norris on the sixth circuit. He went on to work in private practice as an Associate at Squire, Sanders, and Dempsey, and then served in the United States Attorney’s office in Columbus, where he was promoted to the Chief of the Civil Division.

Since 1996, Judge Hopkins has served as a federal bankruptcy court judge in the Southern District of Ohio and has been the Chief Judge since 2014. 

Chief Justice Roberts appointed Judge Hopkins to both the Judicial Conference of the United State Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules and the Judicial Conference’s Judicial Branch Committee – a testament to Judge Hopkins.

His breadth of experience will serve him well as a district court judge.

Yet, Judge Hopkins’ service is not limited to the law.

As a volunteer at the Ohio Law and Leadership Institute – which educates and prepares students from underserved communities about the law and legal careers – Judge Hopkins understands the rights and responsibilities that are part of meaningful, active citizenship and is committed to our basic, democratic values and the next generation of leaders.

In 2008, the Ohio Supreme Court started The Institute, and its growth and success would not have been possible without the support of Ohio’s law schools and volunteers like Judge Hopkins.

He has also served as President of the Board of the Cincinnati Museum Center – steering the city’s institutions to a more successful, viable future.

Judge Hopkins’ life is an American story.  His family, as part of the great migration, moved from Georgia to Ohio, settling in Canton.  His parents moved north for greater security and opportunity for their family, and his achievements remind us of the power and the vibrancy of the American dream.

Judge Hopkins’ father, Eddie Hopkins, Jr., supported his family as an autoworker at Ford’s Walton Hills Stamping plant and as a member of UAW Local 420. 

Today, we are joined by Eddie, Judge Hopkins’ sisters, Cynthia Hopkins and Patricia Williams, and his wife, Michelle.

His daughter, Hayleigh, and his son, Jeffrey Arthur, are unable to be here in person with him today. I know that they are watching and are there with their father in spirit.

I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this nominee, and urge the Senate to confirm him quickly, so he can get to work serving the people of Ohio in a new capacity.

Thank you.

 

###