Kato Crews

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Kato Crews
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
Assumed office
January 12, 2024
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byRaymond P. Moore
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
In office
August 3, 2018 – January 12, 2024
Personal details
Born
Shane Kato Crews

1975 (age 48–49)
Pueblo, Colorado, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Northern Colorado (BA)
University of Arizona (JD)

Shane Kato Crews (born 1975),[1] known professionally as S. Kato Crews, is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado since 2024. He previously served as a United States magistrate judge of the same court from 2018 to 2024.

Early life and education[edit]

Crews is a native of Pueblo, Colorado.[2] He attended Rye High School in Rye, Colorado.[3] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 1997 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona in 2000, where he served on the Arizona Law Review.[4]

Career[edit]

In 2000 and 2001, Crews served as a staff attorney for the National Labor Relations Board in Denver. He later worked as a lawyer at Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP in Denver from 2001 to 2008, becoming partner from 2008 to 2010. He worked at Mastin Hoffman & Crews LLC from 2011 to 2013, and Hoffman Crews Nies Waggener & Foster LLP from 2013 to 2018. In private practice, Crews focused on labor, business, and real estate law.[5] He served as a magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado from August 3, 2018 to January 2024.[6][7] He was the court's first African-American magistrate judge.[2]

Federal judicial service[edit]

On April 29, 2022, U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper recommended Sundeep Addy, Gordon Gallagher and Crews for two vacancies on the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.[8] On February 22, 2023, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Crews to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.[4]

On February 27, 2023, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Crews to a seat being vacated by Judge Raymond P. Moore, who subsequently assumed senior status on June 20, 2023.[9] Crews was the third magistrate judge to be nominated for a district court vacancy in Colorado.[6]

On March 22, 2023, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[10] During his confirmation hearing, he was unable to answer a question by Senator John Kennedy, in which the senator asked him to define a Brady motion, which is a tenet of criminal law.[11][12]

On May 11, 2023, his nomination was reported out of committee by a party line 11–10 vote.[13][14][15] On January 10, 2024, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 51–47 vote, with Senator Kyrsten Sinema voting against the motion to invoke cloture on his nomination.[16] Later that day, his nomination was confirmed by a 51–48 vote, with Senator Sinema voting against his confirmation.[17][18] He received his judicial commission on January 12, 2024.[19]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Bennett, Hickenlooper Celebrate Judge Kato Crews' Nomination to Serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado" (Press release). February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  3. ^ Boczkiewicz, Robert. "From 'Crewser' to federal judge". Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "President Biden Names Thirtieth Round of Judicial Nominees". The White House. February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  5. ^ Voruganti, Harsh (March 10, 2023). "Judge Kato Crews – Nominee to the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado".
  6. ^ a b Michael, Karlik (February 22, 2023). "Biden nominates Kato Crews for federal judgeship". Colorado Politics. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  7. ^ "Shane Kato Crews". www.uscourts.gov. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  8. ^ "Hickenlooper, Bennet Recommend Candidates for U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado" (Press release). April 29, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  9. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. February 27, 2023.
  10. ^ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. March 21, 2023.
  11. ^ "Another Biden Judicial Nominee Stumbles at Confirmation Hearing". Bloomberg News. March 22, 2023.
  12. ^ "Internet shocked at Biden judicial nominee's failure to answer simple question on legal procedure". MSN.
  13. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – May 11, 2023" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  14. ^ Karlik, Michael. "Kato Crews advances out of Senate Judiciary Committee along party lines". coloradopolitics.com. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  15. ^ Lebowitz, Megan; Kapur, Sahil; Thorp V, Frank (May 11, 2023). "Feinstein returns to the Senate Judiciary Committee, helping advance Biden judges". NBC News. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  16. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: S. Kato Crews to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Colorado)". United States Senate. January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  17. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: S. Kato Crews, of Colorado, to be United States District Judge for the District of Colorado)". United States Senate. January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  18. ^ Hansen, Ronald J. "Sen. Kyrsten Sinema votes against Biden judicial nominee for 1st time". azcentral.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  19. ^ Kato Crews at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

External links[edit]

Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
2024–present
Incumbent