Surprising news out of the Southern District of New York — Judge Katherine Forrest is retiring at the end of the year. As reported by the New York Law Journal, Forrest cited personal reasons for her departure in an email she sent to colleagues yesterday.
We reached out to the Southern District of New York to confirm the news, but we have not heard back.
The move is surprising given Judge Forrest’s relatively young age, she’s 54. She was nominated to the bench by Barack Obama in 2011, filling the seat left when Jed Rakoff took senior status. In a statement, Rakoff expressed his sorrow that Judge Forrest was leaving S.D.N.Y.:
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In an emailed statement, Rakoff said he was “immensely saddened that an outstanding judge like Judge Forrest is leaving the bench.
“Her high intelligence and devotion to the cause of justice will be deeply missed,” Rakoff added.
Another district judge not authorized to discuss the matter told NYLJ:
“We’re going to miss her,” the district judge said.
Prior to joining the judiciary, Forrest was a partner at Cravath — and was doing pretty well for herself there. NYLJ is reporting there’s speculation she’ll return to the Biglaw firm after her retirement from the bench. But the one certain thing Judge Forrest’s retirement means is another federal judgeship Donald Trump gets to fill.
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Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).